Philharmonia Chamber Players: Muhly & Bruch

Discover Bruch’s String Octet and Nico Muhly’s Clear Music, a virtuosic piece for cello, harp and celeste inspired by the music of John Taverner.

In a programme of two distinctive works, the Philharmonia Chamber Players first present Nico Muhly’s Clear Music, which grows out of a tiny isolated moment – Muhly describes it as an “exploration of a single measure” – from John Taverner’s motet Mater Christi Sanctissima. Enjoy the shifting soundscapes, as the tender cello opening bursts into life with biting rhythms, underpinned by harp and celeste, showcasing their full range of expression. Over nine minutes, Clear Music builds in intensity from delicate chimes to powerful, soaring melodies

Bruch's Octet blends the infectious excitement of his well-loved orchestral works, like the Violin Concerto, with the intimacy of a small chamber setting. Led from the outset by a beautiful violin melody, the music travels through moments of drama, virtuosity and mischief. The two outer movements frame a sombre, chorale-like second movement, before allowing the sunshine to return in a jubilant finale. 

ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE

• Tickets: This concert is FREE and unticketed - just walk in
• Running time: 50 minutes, no interval
• Concert programme: Free programmes are available upon entry
• Drinks: You can take drinks from the bar into this evening's performance
• After the concert: In the evening performance at 7.30pm, Xian Zhang conducts two equally characterful works – Alina Pogostkina performs Brahms’s radiant Violin Concerto, while the full might of the orchestra is deployed in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.

This concert is part of the Philharmonia Chamber Players series