Aldeburgh Festival 2022: What's New

30th May 2022

Concerts NMC Recordings

The Aldeburgh Festival is back at Britten Pears - Snape Maltings, after a COVID hiatus of two years. Gear up for a festival of music, arts, and ideas in a programme of over 24 days on the Suffolk coast. Here at NMC we have picked out some of our top new music highlights from the festival

Friday 3rd June - Tom Coult's new opera, Violet

The hotly anticipated world premiere of a new opera by rising star Tom Coult. Coult was recently featured on NMC's partner label Psappha on their release Commissions.

Tom Coult

Saturday 4th June - Kieran Rayner: Wohin – Where To?

A story-led song recital of Schubert, Finzi, Poulenc and more with a twist: the audience chooses the direction of the narrative, created by Kieran Rayner. 

Featuring various contemporary works, including Emily Hazrati's To a sick rose, and NMC composer Joanna Ward's THAW. Learn more about Joanna's work here.

Saturday 4th June - Mark Simpson and Solem Quartet

Hear composer/performer Mark Simpson alongside Solem quartet in a performance of his own Clarinet Quartet.

Explore Mark Simpson's releases on NMC here.

Saturday 4th June - Laura Bowler's Houses Slide

Laura Bowler addresses the climate emergency in ways that are both deadly serious and playfully engaging in a performance entirely powered by bicycles.

Hear/watch Laura Bowler's Salutem, performed by the Marsayas Trio on NMC below.

Sunday 5th June - The Hermes Experiment perform works by Imogen Holst, Tom Coult, Freya Waley-Cohen, and Errollyn Wallen.

The multi-award winning quartet perform a programme with a sense of fun and theatre.

Sunday 5th June - Britten Pears Contemporary Ensemble 

Premiere performances of pieces written by young composers on the 2019 Britten Pears Contemporary Composition and Performance course led by Jessica Cottis, Mark-Anthony Turnage and NMC Executive Producer, Colin Matthews.

Wednesday 8th June - Lotte Betts Dean: Voice Electric

Music for amplified solo voice and electronics, from Luigi Nono to new commissions.

Featuring NMC composer Linda Buckley, and a world premiere by NMC composer Stuart MacRae. Explore Stuart's work on NMC here

Imo and Colin

Sunday 19th June - Riot Ensemble make their Aldeburgh Festival debut by performing Liza Lim's Extinction events and dawn chorus. 

Explore Liza Lim's extensive collection of releases on third-party label Huddersfield Contemporary Records, here.

Sunday 19th June - Britten Sinfonia perform Gregor A. Mayrhofer's brand new Recycling Concerto

An inspirational new concerto for orchestra and an array of percussion instruments crafted from rubbish.

Throughout the festival you can get immersed by IN SUFFOLK, WORKING / PLAYING, a part-audiovisual, part-documentary work by composer Joanna Ward. It is centred on eighteen interviews conducted in and around Snape Maltings with people who access the site for different reasons: to work, to volunteer, to make music, to access community.

working playing

Saturday 24th June - Oliver Knussen Day

One day, three concerts, one sorely missed conductor and composer. Britten Pears celebrates the life and work of Oliver Knussen in an extravaganza encompassing music by the man himself, and those he influenced.

Explore Oliver Knussen's releases on NMC here.

Full Aldeburgh Festival Guide

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