Events Calendar: Thursday 2 September 2010

As the guitarist for Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood has helped push the boundaries of rock music by integrating electronics and unconventional song structures.

Greenwood is also a classically trained violinist and contemporary composer and Popcorn Superhet Receiver, his brilliant slice of avant-garde romanticism, takes its name from a shortwave radio catalogue − inspired by ‘white noise’. Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!, Avner Dorman’s concerto for two percussionists and orchestra, references three substances that are extremely appealing, yet filled with danger: Spices that delight the palate, yet can cause illness; Perfumes that seduce, yet can also betray; and Toxins that bring ecstasy, yet are deadly. This high-energy score combines Middle-Eastern drums, orchestral percussion and rock drums with symphonic forces to create a unique sound that, like the title, is both enticing and dangerous. The inspiration for Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring came to the composer in a fleeting vision: ‘I saw in my imagination a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring’. A score of unprecedented rhythmic and harmonic ferocity, this seminal, highly influential piece caused a riot at its 1913 Paris première and established the composer as the prince of the avant-garde.

The final part of tonight’s event features Icelandic composer and pianist Ólafur Arnalds. Ólafur has already played a sell-out show at the Barbican and opened for Sigur Rós on their most recent European tour. His exploration of the space between classical and pop generates a uniquely graceful musical language. He defies traditional terminologies, melding piano, strings and discreet electronics into delicate orchestral compositions. This will be a world première of songs from his latest album, performed with a full orchestra.

Kindly supported by The Princess Hotel