The Contest of Pleasures

Tickets £16 // Concession £12 // Under 30 £5
Advance booking required

The Contest of Pleasures:
John Butcher saxophones
Axel Dörner trumpet
Xavier Charles clarinet

John Butcher (UK, 1954) / Xavier Charles (France, 1963) / Axel Dörner (Germany, 1964)
It never starts, it never stops (2023) 60’ World Premiere

Playing as a unit for over 20 years now, The Contest of Pleasures is the all-acoustic wind trio bringing together exploratory improvisation pioneers John Butcher, Xavier Charles and Axel Dörner. Early in their existence the trio’s playing was described as electronic music for acoustic instruments, and in the years since, they’ve continued to challenge and expand the possibilities of their own practice and their dynamic as a group.

The trio are also known for their ability to develop a rewarding dynamic with the space around them, as Dan Warburton writes: “Listen to how these exemplary musicians learn to read the acoustical space of the chapel: Butcher’s fluttery key clicks test the stone walls for echoes, Dörner’s low sustained tones and unpitched valve breathing measure the room’s wavelength, and Charles’ delicate high singing lines trace the resonance of its architecture. You can hear them listening to the space they play in, hear their understanding of it taking shape as their intertwined pitches create celestial choirs of overtones singing high in the chapel above them.”

At hcmf// 2023, the trio present It never starts, it never stops, in a performance uniquely geared to the acoustics of Huddersfield Town Hall. This World Premiere is all about their connection with the moment and place, opening up new avenues to experience this iconic venue.

Produced by hcmf//

Photo: © Lars Jönsson