London Sinfonietta perform Luke Bedford's 'In the Voices of the Living'

27th November 2023

Films NMC Recordings

The American literary historian Stephen Greenblatt describes his "desire to speak with the dead" through writing, and these were the words that inspired the composer Luke Bedford when creating the title work of his new album. This catalyst became a setting of five texts from across history that are concerned with how the voices of the past speak to us via literature. The piece was commissioned by London Sinfonietta, and in June 2021 it was performed by the ensemble with solo tenor Mark Padmore, conducted by Geoffrey Paterson. Watch the performance below.

Bedford's new album features several other recordings of his large-scale works, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Oliver Knussen, BBC Philharmonic with Juanjo Mena, and the Arcis Saxophon Quartett with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. In the Voices of the Living is out now on NMC.

Buy/stream 'in the voices of the living'

NMC's Discover platform is created in partnership with  ISM Trust.

Related Composers

Music Map

Discover more about the classical music of today with NMC's Music Map, and exciting and educational online tool which enables you to see and hear the connections between composers, their teachers, pupils, influences and their works.

Music Map