Just had a week with the MB Ensemble and Viktoria working on the last two arrangements for the Peasant Girl project (check Viktoria’s website for details). Dartington is the ideal place to escape for a bit of downtime with space to rehearse, breath deeply, and dream. We worked on a piece by DuOud called For Nedim that was really challenging to put together, an old Russian gypsy song called Dark Eyes, and all the other repertoire of Weather Report, Bratsch, John Lewis, Bartok, Kodaly etc.. The concert in the Great Hall was wonderful – sumptious and clear acoustic, great vibe, and enthusiastic crowd. It was also recorded by BBC Radio 3 for Late Junction. Having time just to work in a place that is so beautiful is a rarity in our world of rushing around, and it really bore artistic fruit in the concert.
Matthew Barley/Cellist
→
Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.
Plato