Piano-percussion duo George Barton and Siwan Rhys popped up in 2013 with a vast repertoire of contemporary music and an interest in bringing it to new, unexpected places – concert halls are fine, but how about nightclubs? Over a seven-year period they’ve made seismic transformations; having started with acclaimed performances of Stockhausen and Feldman, they’ve staked out an interest in working with modern composers, forming close musical relationships that result in fully realised performances that have bowled over audiences. Case in point: hcmf// 2019, where GBSR Duo premiered Nicholas Moroz’s Intralatent, one of the festival’s highlights, to a stunned audience at Huddersfield Town Hall.
Rhys and Barton perform on their own, as well as in numerous renowned groups and ensembles, including London Sinfonietta and the Riot Ensemble. They pool together years of experience as interpreters, approaching new works with a perfectly alchemised mix of faithful listening and inventive translation.
Photo (C) Dejan Mrdja