Music of Today: Jonathan Harvey, Royal Festival Hall

To mark what would have been the eminent British composer Jonathan Harvey’s 75th birthday, the Royal Festival Hall is putting on a tribute concert for free. Although it starts early, we reckon this one is worth the mad dash from the office. It’s not every day that the Festival Hall dishes out free tickets, and the late Harvey was “a rare spirit” (the Sunday Times) with an international profile.

Harvey passed away last December (2012), aged 73, after suffering from motor neurone disease. His gift was for capturing spirituality in his music, which has been likened to the rhythmically complex pieces by the French composer Oliver Messiaen. He used digital technology to create electronic sound art with samples of sounds from everyday life. His style is in its own musical world - quite surreal - so be prepared for a modernist sound.

The programme is relatively short and consists of two pieces. Wheel of Emptiness , an ensemble piece, tries to connect more chaotic music with calmer themes over a repetitive underlying pattern. It will be performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by the award-winning conductor Antony Hermus. 

The second composition, Scena, is written for one voice and ensemble and takes the listener through several dramatic events. The sought-after South Korean violinist, Hae-Sun Kang, is to perform the solo voice. Raved about in the world of contemporary music, she is considered a joy to work with, so much so that she has had many works dedicated to her. 

Harvey was your quintessential academic composer. He had a PhD in music and was an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, for the last ten years of his life. He was a frequent visiting professor to Oxford University, so it is fitting that Jonathan Cross, a colleague from the university, is presenting this concert.

We would recommend getting there as early as possible to avoid queues. 

FREE

Address & Map:  Royal Festival Hall,  Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX  ‎

Nearest Tube: Waterloo