Music Space Reflection
27th March 2007
Music Space Reflection is the result of several years of collaboration between the composer and architect and has been specifically created for performance in Libeskind’s buildings. Following its premiere in Manchester, the piece will be performed at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in the autumn. Performances will also take place in the more conventional surroundings of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on April 30 (with visuals by Flat-E) and in Copenhagen by students of the Royal Danish Academy on October 6.
The work is scored for four identical sextets, placed around the building and each consisting of flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, violin and cello. The instrumental sound will be subtly amplified and modified using techniques developed in collaboration with David Sheppard of Sound Intermedia. These sounds will then be relayed by speakers placed around Libeskind’s structure, in Bainbridge’s words, to “cover and shadow the building”.
“Music is not just a luxury, but a necessity for life,” comments Libeskind. “[It] has long been a vital part of celebrating public architectural spaces, and it’s that celebratory aspect which is particularly important”.
Music Space Reflection has been commissioned by the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, with financial support from The PRS Foundation for new music and Arts Council England.
For more information about this piece and the music of Simon Bainbridge contact Samuel Wilcock
