Poetry Nearing Silence

Julian Anderson is among Britain's leading composers, as proven by this album of his chamber music conducted by Martyn Brabbins and played by the Nash Ensemble, for whom several of the works were written. The music ranges from the early Ring Dance (1987) to the recent Van Gogh Blue (2015). The title work, Poetry Nearing Silence, takes inspiration from Tom Phillips's classic "altered book" A Humument.

Featuring

Benjamin Nabarro
Michael Gurevich
Richard Hosford
Ian Brown
Philipa Davies
Lawrence Power

Martyn Brabbins
Nash Ensemble
Julian Anderson

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Composition History

This album is the result of a long-standing promise by Amelia Freedman, founder of the Nash Ensemble, to record Julian Anderson's chamber music after he composed a second ensemble piece of similar length to Poetry Nearing Silence.

Composer Biography

Julian Anderson, born in London in 1967, is a highly esteemed composer who has held prominent teaching positions at the Royal College of Music, Harvard University, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Julian Anderson's music often reflects his "myriad enthusiasms and insatiable curiosity," which were initially channeled into works for larger stages.

Performer Biography

The Nash Ensemble, featured on this recording, has set "world standards in chamber music playing" for over fifty years, with all its performers also being famous soloists.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Julian Anderson's music is characterized by its richness and plurality, encompassing a wide range of techniques from abstract noise to throbbing euphony, and from diatonic modes to twelve-tone harmony.

Composition History

Julian Anderson's early string quartet, Light Music (1984-5), was declared unplayable in the 1980s but finally received its first performance as his three-act opera Thebans (2010-14) was being completed.