Turns, Loops and Glances

Three contemporary works for string quartet, performed by the Bristol Ensemble.

Hannah Kendall Glances/I Don’t Belong Here (2019)
Errollyn Wallen Romeo Turn (1990)
John Adams Shaker Loops (1978)

60 minutes, no interval.

Hannah Kendall is a British composer based in New York. Her work bridges gaps between different musical cultures, both honouring and questioning the contemporary tradition while telling new stories through it. Glances/I Don’t Belong Here is a collection of seven miniatures inspired by the British-Guyanese artist Ingrid Pollard’s Pastoral Interludes, a series of photographs in which her Black British subjects are posed in the Lake District, the epitome of rural Britain; exploring the notion of alienation and ‘otherness’ in such spaces. In a similar way, each short piece is a musical snapshot of Kendall’s most cherished non-urban settings, and the experiences that can accompany each visit.

The ‘Renaissance woman of contemporary British music’ (The Observer), Errollyn Wallen is one of the most regularly performed living composers. The first Black woman to have a piece featured in the BBC Proms (in 1998), she was appointed Master of the Kings Music in 2024.

Described as ‘hauntingly ethereal’, American composer John Adams’ Shaker Loops (1978) began as a piece called Wavemaker in which Adams tried to emulate the ripple effect of bodies of water in his music. He retitled the piece Shaker Loops, both because of the “shaking” of the strings as they oscillate between notes and the idea Adams had of Shaker communities dancing to repetitive, energetic music.

Since its foundation in 1994, by violinist and Chief Executive Roger Huckle, the Bristol Ensemble has been at the forefront of musical life in Bristol and the Southwest. Versatility is one of Bristol Ensemble’s greatest attributes. Bristol Ensemble is a collective of specialists that collaborate to provide the highest calibre of performance for a wide range of audiences.

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