A slash of a paintbrush becomes a stroke of a bow. Three boundary-pushing composers take on the visual arts through sound.
Hear Judith Weir’s Heroic Strokes of the Bow, inspired by a work of the same name by Paul Klee, take the score-like composition of Klee’s painting literally, carving out thick passages of song from restless strings and clamorous woodwind. Then, experience Farrenc’s Symphony No. 1, shockingly neglected at time of release, exhibit a Tchaikovsky-like lyricism within its fiery, colourful landscapes.
But first, enjoy Agata Zubel’s haunting and enigmatic In the Shade of an Unshed Tear, which contrasts icy string passages with thunderous interludes from the timpani – not to be missed.
