Ligeti Quartet have shared an enchanting live performance of Anna Meredith’s ‘Blackfriars’ watch it below. The original is taken from Nuc, a forthcoming album of new arrangements of Anna’s compositions created by viola player Richard Jones in conjunction with Meredith herself, which is out 14th April.
The recording was arranged by Ligeti Quartet’s Richard Jones, who says: “I remember hearing ‘Blackfriars’ for the first time and it stopped me in my tracks. I think of it as an ode to London at its best – which is, for me, crossing over the Thames. For those of us that have moved to London from elsewhere, it serves as a reminder of the energy-giving power of this city, which can at many times feel overwhelming – and finding a kind of stillness amid the chaos and bustle.”
Anna Meredith explains, “I’m not normally someone who draws on personal experience much in my music but Blackfriars was written during a difficult year that I just couldn’t get around musically so put some of that into this track. The track builds in repeating layers and in Rich’s beautiful arrangement moves the theme from cello upwards to end with violin – always underpinned with a metronomic tick flowing through the piece, using the wood of the bow.”
Originally the final track from Meredith’s breakthrough 2016 album Varmints, the new arrangement for string quartet of ‘Blackfriars’ by Richard Jones will be released on Ligeti Quartet’s new album Nuc, a thrilling alignment of the two camps’ aesthetics. The compositional durability and formal playfulness of pieces from Meredith’s glittering career have been enhanced by the transgressive, unorthodox touch of Ligeti Quartet; with new arrangements created by viola player Jones (whose previous collaborations include Alex Turner, Jessie Ware and The Waeve), in conjunction with Meredith herself. The album is named after the beekeeping term for a small nuclear colony of thronging, anxious activity wherein a central queen bee is swamped by a roving, searching mass of life.
PRE-ORDER ‘NUC’
https://mkx.lnk.to/Nuc
Formed in 2010, the London ensemble stand in pointed opposition to any dusty, antiquated image of the classical string quartet. Think not of the faded grandeur of those musicians that made a brave last stand on the sinking deck of the Titanic, but of an urgent, disruptive and restlessly creative juggernaut redefining the sonic and conceptual parameters of what can be achieved with these raw ingredients.
Composer, producer and performer Anna Meredith’s music has been performed everywhere from the Hollywood Bowl to BBC Last Night of the Proms to flashmob body-percussion performances at the M6 Services. It has been used in PRADA, Chloe & Fendi fashion campaigns, adverts, films, TV shows, installations and pop festivals, clubs and classical concert halls worldwide. Tracks on ‘Nuc’ include arrangements of tracks taken from her albums Varmints and FIBS as well as compositions not previously recorded.
To celebrate the album release, Rough Trade East presents a live performance, Q&A (moderated by Radio 3’s Sara Mohr-Pietsch) and signing from Ligeti Quartet & Anna Meredith on 18th April, tickets are available here.
Nuc at Rough Trade East | 18/04/2023 – 20:00 (ligetiquartet.com)
