Borletti-Buitoni Trust
Saturday matinée 10 June 2023
Opening the first of BBT20’s concerts at Wigmore Hall on Saturday 10 June 2023, Mark Simpson reprieved his 2016 BBT commission, Darkness Moves for solo clarinet, which was originally premièred online on the BBT website. Mark was one of 21 BBT artists appearing at Wigmore Hall that weekend, and Saturday matinee concert included three BBT commissions, two of which were European premières.
Bringing together 21 BBT artists for a weekend of 20th anniversary celebrations at Wigmore Hall in June 2023, BBT20 highlighted the importance of chamber music. Our first trio brought together flautist Adam Walker, harpist Sivan Magen and violist Timothy Ridout for a performance of Debussy’s exquisite late Sonata for flute, viola and harp. It featured in the first Wigmore concert of the weekend which also included three BBT commissions, two of them being given their European premières.
Violinist Alexi Kenney performed two European premières at BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at London’s Wigmore Hall in June 2023. Both were BBT commissions that Alexi had chosen for his forthcoming ‘Shifting Ground’ recording and here he plays Angélica Negrón’s The Violinist for violin and electronics. Ana Fabrega’s short story about a non-musician’s nightmare waking up to find herself on Carnegie Hall’s stage about to play Brahms’ Violin Concerto is given a mesmeric solo violin accompaniment which captivated Wigmore Hall’s audience.
Alexi Kenney’s second BBT Commission – of which he gave the European première at London’s Wigmore Hall as part of BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations in June 2023 – was Salina Fisher’s ‘Hikari,’ which will be included in Alexi’s forthcoming ‘Shifting Ground’ recording. Salina Fisher had flown in from her native New Zealand to be with us for the weekend and takes her bow at the end of Alexi’s performance.
The first concert of BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at Wigmore Hall in June 2023 ended with this performance of Stravinsky’s Suite from The Soldier’s Tale for violin, clarinet and piano, performed by Alexi Kenney, Mark Simpson and Filippo Gorini, respectively. Join them – and the solider, the devil and the princess – in this masterly performance.
Saturday evening 10 June 2023
Ending the first day of BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at Wigmore Hall, 2014 Award winners, the Apollon Musagète Quartet gave “a fearsomely accomplished performance” (The Guardian) of Schubert’s String Quartet in D minor D 810, ‘Death and the Maiden.’