Howard Skempton: Five Rings Triples

This piece for church bells, commissioned by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and Third Ear, marks the Olympic year’s beginning. Skempton believes that bells proclaim moments of public gathering, celebration and important news, providing an ideal medium for the launch of New Music 20x12.

This project has been produced by Third Ear.

This is the first of 20 outstanding new works, each lasting 12 minutes, commissioned to feature centre stage of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. New Music 20x12 is a UK-wide commissioning programme consisting of twenty new pieces of music, each of 12 minutes in length, celebrating the talent and imagination of the UK’s musical community as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Over the next 12 months you will be able to enjoy performances of these 20 new works in a wide range of venues and unexpected locations across the length and breadth of the UK – from churches, arts centres and concert halls to public spaces, festivals and a train journey. Each piece will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and available to purchase as mp3/FLAC download from NMC.

Visit our New Music 20x12 Project Page for more information about the twenty works.