NMB 2025: Xenia Pestova Bennett 'GLOW'

GLOW by Xenia Pestova Bennett was recently premiered at St Georges Hall, Bradford City of Culture 2025 and at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London's Southbank Centre as part of the New Music Biennial with PRSf, BBC Radio 3 & NMC Recordings. The collaboration between Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble and Xenia on Magnetic Resonator Piano (MRP) which led to these performances has been in the works for some time. Having heard Xenia perform her own music on MRP in both Glasgow and Belfast at SARC in Queen's University, Belfast (where the ensemble is based), I approached Xenia about working together and exploring the weird and wonderful sounds we might create together, using an extensive instrument range with extended techniques. 

The MRP is an innovative hybrid instrument designed by Professor Andrew McPherson (Imperial College London), who we were delighted to have in the audience in London. The unusual resonances which the MRP creates offers us as musicians a chance to explore a new sound-world, and whilst Xenia was responsible for the overall musical direction of the piece and source material, it was inspiring and exciting for a creative ensemble like ours to be part of the process. The inclusion of improvisatory elements, field recordings, story-telling, voice and language (Danish, Welsh, Turkish) all enhanced the other-worldly nature of the music, and the atmosphere on stage.
 

As Xenia writes in her programme note, “GLOW itself is about ghosts – a range of mysterious glowing phenomena that continue to enthral and terrify us. Three stories are told in three different languages: a strange electric light envelopes masts of a sailing ship; fairy flames beguile a traveller at night; a luminous presence enters a room. Live instruments weave through and colour the narratives and there are five movements: Dusk, Interlude I, Night, Interlude II, Noon”.

Performing at the New Music Biennial 2025 was a unique experience. The setup whereby each act performs their new work twice within one concert (and only that work, as opposed to a full programme we might normally present), gives us performers an opportunity to be wholly present and to focus differently in each performance. The chance to share this music with diverse audiences across the UK and to sense their engagement and response is extremely rewarding.
 

We listened to as many other concerts as we could across the two weekends in Bradford and London, experiencing the breadth of creativity and musical diversity showcased at the festival. Events leading up to the festival in which we met other composers, performers and promoters involved were hugely insightful. And, of course because we are a Belfast ensemble, working with an NI-based composer, we were proud to showcase what we do, and promote the rich cultural landscape at home. Aisling Agnew - Artistic Director & Flautist with Hard Rain, July 2025  

New Music Biennial was released on 29 August on NMC Recordings.