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World Premiere of Gavin Bryars's Harpsichord Concerto by Mahan Esfahani and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Mar. 30, 2023

On March 23, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, led by Andrew Manze, performed the world premiere performance of Gavin Bryars's Harpsichord Concerto with Mahan Esfahani as the featured soloist. The work was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and L‘Auditorium - Orchestre National de Lyon. Bryars notes:

"The harpsichord solo part for the concerto is to be played within the spirit of much of the music for the baroque harpsichord. I have deliberately limited the amount of ornamentation written by myself in order that the performer can add it freely in an imaginative or improvisatory way. This can be as austere or as florid as the player wishes.

I compare this approach to Toru’s Mist, which I wrote for a Japanese master shakuhachi player, where I decided against telling him when he should use traditional techniques like the breathing vibrato, using different embouchures and tone colors, or extreme portamento within a melodic line, believing that it would be arrogant of me to impose my own limited awareness on what he had achieved through a lifetime’s experience.

Before and during the writing of this concerto, I studied Mahan Esfahani’s many Bach recordings as well as music by other composers of the period. I also enjoy immensely the life and almost wilful freshness that he brings to his performances of After Handel’s Vesper, my work for solo harpsichord. Mahan is also a ‘master’ in the same sense as the shakuhachi player…"

To learn more about Gavin Bryars, visit: schott-music.com.


Gavin Bryars
Harpsichord Concerto (2022-23)
"Busoni's Chickering"
for harpsichord and orchestra
2.2.2.bcl.1.cbn-4.2.2.1-timp-3perc-str
25'

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