Panopticon

Featuring

Psappha New Music Ensemble
Hebrides Ensemble
David Fennessy

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Performer Biography

Psappha, Manchester's new music ensemble, was founded in 1991 by its Artistic Director Tim Williams, who also performs cimbalom on this recording.

Compositional Technique

In David Fennessy's piece Panopticon, the cimbalom acts as a central figure, influencing the pulse, dynamics, and harmony of the surrounding string ensemble.

Performer Biography

Hebrides Ensemble, a UK chamber music collective, is co-founded and led by cellist and conductor William Conway, who performs cello on this recording.

Composition History

David Fennessy's Panopticon was commissioned by two ensembles featured on this album: Psappha, Manchester's new music ensemble, and Hebrides Ensemble, a UK chamber music collective.

Composer Biography

David Fennessy, born in Maynooth, Ireland in 1976, began his musical journey as a guitarist in a school rock band before formal classical training at age fifteen.

Recording & Production

This recording of Panopticon was made possible with funding from various organizations, including PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders, Creative Scotland, and the Arts Councils of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer David Fennessy describes his creative process for Panopticon as "living in the world of the piece, opening up the overtones and climbing inside them, everything becoming heightened, everything getting magnified and kaleidoscopic."