With tickets selling fast for an array of World and UK Premieres across the opening weekend involving some of the top artists and musicians working in new music in Europe and beyond, it seems appropriate that hcmf// Artistic Director Graham McKenzie helps us dig deep for those ‘hidden gems’ flying just under the radar from the Monday onwards.
Monday 18th belongs to hcmf// shorts – a festival within a festival – and a day of free concerts where the curious can drop in and out of the programme and experience the full range of musical styles that can be experienced under the auspices of hcmf//. In all honesty, for the uninitiated, anything and everything on the day might just be your very own hidden gem – but allow me to pull out a couple of options that you might want to try out!
As her memorable performance last week in Glasgow as part of Nordic Music Days testifies, violinist Marie Schreer (Riot Ensemble) is emerging as one of the most exciting and inventive performers on the circuit, through her solo work interrogating notions of home and belonging. At hcmf//, Schreer presents the WP of a work she has commissioned from Iranian composer Ashkan Behzadi which sets a poem by British-Bahraini poet Taher Adel, interpreting home through six Arabic translations and drawing inspiration from global displacement, immigration and Adel’s personal heritage. For this premiere Schreer will be joined on stage by Adel. Powerful, evocative, and unmissable!
Earlier in the day, I will certainly be first in the queue for Ladies – four Lithuanian ladies who have been playing kanklės (Lithuanian traditional horizontal harp) for more than 30 years. Here music tradition meets contemporary art in a composition and performance-based work by hcmf// Composer in Residence Lina Lapelytė.
It is difficult to think of a more improved ensemble in recent years than the Belfast-based Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, who under the guidance of flautist Aisling Agnew can now be truly categorised as world class! On Tuesday 19th, the ensemble present a unified approach to the intertwining of instrumental and environmental sound worlds. Field recording as a performance. Ecosystems as a listening experience. An immersive spatial audio listening experience!
If you are at the festival on Tuesday then I’d also advise hanging around for the evening performance of a brand new quartet of Lithuanian-based improvisers, Ward – 4! Initiated by saxophonist Liudas Mockūnas, and master drummer Arnas Mikalkėnas, this sax-double tuba-percussion ensemble promises low-frequency vibrations and curious soundscapes.
Mary Bellamy’s music rarely shouts for attention but it is always beautifully understated and impeccably crafted. Here her pairing with renowned viola d’amore player Marco Fusi, the most exquisite of baroque instruments makes for a dream combination. When you add in works by the in-demand Bára Gísladóttir, Lauri Supponen, and the great Sciarrino then this veers into must-see territory!
As in previous years, the Thursday at hcmf// is devoted to our ongoing exploration of the cultural world’s influence on sustainability and environmental change. Join us for a day of discussions and performances, starting with a performance by the brilliant Finnish composer and climate activist Matilda Seppälä followed by a discussion between Seppälä and Anu Ahola, the Project Manager of Jazz Finland’s Elma.live initiative – a digital platform serving live music operators by providing information, tools and support for promoting sustainable development.
If you are looking for a performance that might just have something for everyone, then I’d book in for Noise Uprising – subtitled A Polystylistic Atlas – on Friday 22nd. Performed by the guitar quartet Zwerm, plus singers Lieselot De Wilde and Sofia Jernberg, Christopher Trapani’s composition weaves a kind of imagined B-side of music history, cross-referencing son, jazz, samba, rembetiko, tango, samba, fado and much more. More than a travelogue however, the piece questions notions of cultural appropriation and authenticity. A hugely enjoyable yet thought-provoking work of astounding originality!
Zwerm’s versatile guitarist Kobe Van Cauwenberghe pops up again on Saturday evening in a duo with award-winning turntablist Mariam Rezaei with their own take on jazz visionary Anthony Braxton’s most enduring series of works, Ghost Trance Music. Get along early and catch a new live performance from the brilliant Cath Roberts on saxophone and electronics!
Oliver Leith is a fast-rising star of composition whose works are in demand all over the world. Tucked away at lunchtime of the final Sunday is the World Premiere of a new work from Leith for the irresistible combination of pianist Richard Uttley and French horn genius Ben Goldscheider. Perfect to ease you into the closing day.