Listening Club: Birtwistle, Satie & The Firebird

Join Joanna MacGregor as she dives deeper into the music of our March concert, Spring Awakening.

The changing of the seasons inspires our Spring Solstice concert. Beginning with Satie’s evergreen Gymnopèdies, we’ll dive into their connection with the ancient Greek world, and Satie’s relationship with Debussy, who came to orchestrate them.

Harrison Birtwistle is also inspired by the ancient world: Greek tragedy, Arthurian legend and English folk tales provide the backbone to his music. We’ll find the context for his groundbreaking masterpiece the Triumph of Time, looking at Peter Breugel’s famous engraving of the same name; and explore how this monumental, processional work influenced Birtwistle’s career, as well as the composers around him.

Designed to illuminate and entertain, our new series The Listening Club delves deep into this season’s music, uncovering composers’ intentions, social context, and musical motifs to listen out for. Most importantly, we’ll have fun.

‘Thanks too for Joanna’s concise but cogent introductions. The enthusiasm of her live comments makes these performances that bit more special!’ – Andrew Connal