Clyne, Jenkins and Kats-Chernin provide Sounds of the Century
BBC Radio 3’s new series of commissions, 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century, celebrating the first quarter of the 2000s, includes new orchestral works from Anna Clyne, Karl Jenkins and Elena Kats-Chernin.
Three Boosey & Hawkes composers, Anna Clyne, Karl Jenkins and Elena Kats-Chernin, have created new commissions for BBC Radio 3’s 25 for 25: Sounds of the Century, works inspired by 25 significant events which have defined the first quarter of the 2000s.
The series is launched on Saturday 25 January with Anna Clyne’s The Eye, performed by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Ben Gernon, taking The London Eye as a starting point for a reflection on the new millennium, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and then available on BBC Sounds. Anna Clyne is currently Composer in Residence with the BBC Philharmonic who present the UK premiere of her new concerto for orchestra, PALETTE, at Factory International / Aviva Studios in Manchester on 15 March.
Karl Jenkins’ The Signs Still Point the Way, written for the joint forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers, is a musical meditation for the victims of the COVID pandemic in 2020. With text by writer Grahame Davies, the work portrays images of the remains of things past as an allegory for our memories of those that have died. Karl Jenkins, who celebrated his 80th birthday last year, was in New York this month for the North American premiere of One World at Carnegie Hall.
Elena Kats-Chernin’s work dedicated to the year 2013, titled Rainbow Promise, celebrates the introduction of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, and is written for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Uzbek-born and Australian resident, Kats-Chernin is one of the most cosmopolitan and versatile composers working internationally.
Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 & BBC Proms writes: “With a quarter of the 21st century already behind us, this significant set of commissions offers a wonderful opportunity to tell the story of our recent history, through the lens of music. The BBC is this country’s biggest commissioner of new works and on Radio 3, we are proud to champion this brilliant range of composers and performers, joining us to mark a series of extraordinary moments across the last 25 years.”
Recorded by BBC Performing Groups and Radio 3 New Generation Artists, the new commissions have their first broadcast on Saturday Morning with Tom Service each week from 25 January to 12 July and are then presented across the Radio 3 schedule throughout the week following their premiere.