Release Date: 22 April 2022
In 2022 PRS Foundation and Southbank Centre's New Music Biennial celebrates its 10-year anniversary, and NMC are thrilled to continue as digital partner for the landmark new music series. Presented in partnership with Coventry UK City of Culture, BBC Radio 3, and Southbank Centre, with support from Arts Council of England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Paul Hamlyn Foundation, New Music Biennial 2022 will comprise 20 new pieces of music: ten brand new works selected from an open call and ten pre-existing New Music Biennial works from across the last ten years to mark its launch back in 2012.
As well as releasing the new pieces at this year's festival, and to celebrate this milestone in our partnership, we are re-issuing the ten existing works being performed this year, available to download at this discounted price.
Including a flashmob-style body percussion piece for choir by Anna Meredith, an orchestral work exploring themes of slavery and freedom by Errollyn Wallen, Jason Yarde's Olympics-inspired piece for brass including Chinese style pentatonic music and London grime, Philip Venables' provocative, political chamber work, story-telling and folk fiddle from Aidan O'Rourke and Kit Downes, and sampled birdsong merging with keyboard from Arlene Sierra. See the full track listing below for details.
New Music Biennial's critically acclaimed free festival is set to take place this year in both Coventry (22-24 April) and London's Southbank Centre (1-3 July), featuring brand new commissions from across all genres and musical styles: from classical and chamber opera to jazz, folk and electronic, each work is no longer than 15 minutes in duration to create a pop-up, interactive way for audiences to discover new music by some of the most exciting composers and music creators in the UK today.
New commissions this year include works from Yazz Ahmed, Paul Purgas, AFRODEUTSCHE, Martin Green, Rakhi Singh/Vessel, Keeley Forsyth, Coby Sey, Roopa Panesar, Toby Young, and Philip Herbert. Download these tracks from the NMC shop here
Explore a decade of New Music Biennial with out five curated playlists themed by genre, consisting all of the of tracks that we have released across the festival's lifespan.
Visit the New Music Biennial website for more information about the festival and for free tickets.
Track Listing
1. HandsFree Anna Meredith - Commissioned by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
2. 13 Vices Brian Irvine & Jennifer Walshe - Commissioned by Moving on Music
3. Bethia Daniel Elms - Commissioned by the BFI
4. Mighty River Errollyn Wallen - Performed by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, originally commissioned by Oxford Contemporary
5. Illusions Philip Venables and David Hoyle - Commissioned by London Sinfonietta
6. 365 Aidan O'Rourke & Kit Downes - Commissioned by the Edinburgh Book Festival
7. Skip, Dash, Flow Jason Yarde - Commissioned by Wonderbrass
8. She Who Jessica Curry - Commissioned by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
9. Urban Birds Arlene Sierra - Commissioned by INTER/actions Festival of Interactive Electronics
10. The Power and the Glory Gazelle Twin - Commissioned by the BBC Concert Orchestra
Release date: 22 April 2022
Catalogue Number: NMCDL3050
FUNDERS
