The season ends with a new beginning. Ravi Shankar has been edging towards the creation of a symphony for decades: first came his virtuosic duets for sitar and violin written for performance with Yehudi Menuhin, then came the two thematically accomplished Concertos for Sitar and Orchestra. After years of collaboration with Philip Glass, the two composers are heard together here: the pulsating, lyrical groove of Glass’s Violin Concerto meets the world’s first performance of Shankar’s Symphony, which explores both the rich melodic heritage and the mathematical precision of Indian music and is an event of huge significance for world music.
Adams worked with repeating loops of oscillations on string instruments for some time before Shaker Loops took its final form. The name reflects the 'shaking' of the strings oscillating between notes and the way Shakers danced to repetitive, energetic music.
FREE 6.15pm–6.45pm | Royal Festival Hall An introduction to the mathematics of Indian music by Marcus du Sautoy and David Murphy.
In April 2010 Robert McDuffie performed Philip Glass' second violin concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Watch the video introduction:
CD: Colin Currie performs Higdon's Percussion Concerto £9.99 Marin Alsop conducts works by Macmillan, Ades and Higdon on the Orchestra’s own record label
CD: Mark-Anthony Turnage £9.99 Scherzoid, Evening Songs, When I Woke and Yet Another Set To by the Orchestra’s Composer in Residence Mark-Anthony Turnage.
