Wednesday 27 May 2009, 8pm
‘An edgy evening with an experimental brief that celebrates Squarepusher every bit as much as Stravinsky’ Evening Standard
‘A night where classical sounds meet electronica squiggles in a flurry of chin-stroking, knowing noodling and musical mastery’ Guardian
Blank Canvas is a night reputed for its eclectic contemporary classical and experimental music programming, which pays no heed to classical music convention.
Leafcutter John is best known for combining ear-warping experimental electronic sound with sweetly melodic and sometimes mean malevolent folk. He is also a member of Mercury Prize nominated band Polar Bear, a Jazz band like no other.
John is working on his 5th studio album as well as commissions from the BBC and Fuse 09 Festival and in the next few months he will be touring the UK with Polar Bear / Dirty Projectors and traveling to the Swedish forest to record an album for the box project (Rune Grammofon).
John's animated graphic scores are his most recent project. The scores consist of projected scrolling 'shapes' which give performers precise information on dynamic and timing and the performers are encouraged to improvise to fill the 'shapes' creatively. Tonight, a quartet of performers has been drawn from the mighty Heritage Orchestra, an ensemble reputed for its unique orchestral direction, recently collaborating with Massive Attack, UNKLE and Amon Tobin amongst many others.
Plaid is the duo Ed Handley and Andy Turner. Rising from the ashes of legendary Black Dog, the electronica stalwarts and Warp Records veterans have become highly regarded for their heart-melting melodies and über-crisp beats.
Over the years Plaid has released a number of critically acclaimed albums, the most recent Scintilli scheduled for 2009, whilst collaborating and remixing for the likes of Bjork, Goldfrapp and Mara Carlyle.
In 2008 they created the soundtrack for the multi-award winning Japanese anime film Tekkon Kinkreet, directed by Michael Arias and they have recently starting exploring collaborations with live instrumentalists, including cellist Zoe Martlew at Faster Than Sound, Javanese musician Ruhayu Supanggah & Southbank Gamelan Players for Ether 09 and now pianist Will Dutta.
Will Dutta, pianist and independent producer, works within the shady borders of contemporary classical music. Having recently worked with DJ Yoda and Gabriel Prokofiev, he is currently participating on the PRS Foundation’s New Music Plus…Producers Partnership scheme co-producing a large new music event with the Tate Gallery.
After graduating from Trinity College of Music in 2007 he established Chimera Productions, a company committed to providing musicians and composers with interesting and often unusual platforms to perform and premiere new music through both special one-off events and the bi-monthly night Blank Canvas whilst challenging a wider audience to listen to classical music through pioneering commissions and cross-genre collaborations.
Will has conceptualised two new works for piano and live electronics, tonight’s composition with Plaid is the first, the second composed by Max De Wardener is to be premiered later in 2009.
