Programme
Webern – Drei Volkstexte Op 17
Berio – Folk Songs
Joseph Havlat – NewWork
Webern – Fünf Geistliche Lieder, Op 15 with musical commentary by Richard Hames
Ensemble x.y
Richard Hames Electronics
Joseph Havlat Piano
Oliver Pooley Percussion
Mayah Kadish Violin
Christine Buras Voice
Alyson Frazier Flute
Gwen Reed Double Bass
Performers
Ensemble x.y is a contemporary ensemble that commissions and performs new music in a flexible and ever-changing lineup. Formed in late 2014, Ensemble x.y seeks to add to the music of the 21st Century through commissioning young composers and performing thematically charged programmes that combine newly commissioned works with the often underplayed works of the modern era.
Run without traditional roles or hierarchies, the ensemble accepts submissions to its ongoing call for scores on a rolling basis. Such projects, like all the music we play, are brought to fruition by the individual players who wish to perform them. This ensures both dedicated and professional performances, and an intimate working relationship between composer and instrumentalists. When the music calls for it, we expand the formation to include new players, thus enabling the group to regularly experiment with new sounds and aesthetics.
Ensemble x.y have recently taken part in the Nachtlkang Festival in Germany and the inaugural HASSFEST festival in Armenia, and, closer to home, won the NonClassical “Battle of the Bands” 2016. The ensemble has also put on its own concerts at St John’s, Smith Square, i’klectik Gallery, The Rag Factory, and St Mary-at-Hill Church, amongst others.
