October premieres and performances
- JJMM
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
October sees a number of premieres and important performances across the month.
On 3 October, Tonia Ko’s Smoke and Distance is presented by Sarah Dacey (soprano) and Belinda Jones (piano) in an evening of classical song exploring women’s relationship to the night. The evening at Mycenae House, London, is in aid of the charity, Refuge.
Matthew Kaner’s Sonatina Scordatura for solo cello will receive its world premiere on 9 October with Guy Johnston at Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival. Instead of its standard configuration with the strings in perfect fifths, Kaner retunes the instument to a scordatura tuning. Having created his own ‘customised’ resonance, he utilises the resulting harmonies to provide a backdrop for a series of long melodic lines.
Also on 9 October, Michael Collins premieres Sally Beamish’s IZAKHI, a concerto for basset clarinet and chamber orchestra, with Tapiola Sinfonietta directed by Collins. IZAKHI is co-commissioned by the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.
Tracing, a new duo for violin and piano commissioned by Fenella Humphreys with support from The Fidelio Charitable Trust, Vaughan Williams Foundation and Wigmore Hall, will premiere at Wigmore Hall on 16 October with Fenella and Martin Roscoe.
As part of Anna Berg’s Kode artist residency, on 19 October BIT20 Ensemble presents a portrait concert of her music at the Siljustøl home of composer Harald Sæverud (1897-1992). Between the pieces, Berg shares her reflections in conversation with curator of music at Kode, Johannes Holtmon.
James Dillon's The Hermes Scroll premieres on 22 October with Klangforum Wien, conducted by Ingo Metzmacher, at the Wiener Konzerthaus. The 45-minute work marks 40 years since the founding of the ensemble and is commissioned by Klangforum Wien with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Stiftung.
Wien Modern opens its 2025 programme on 30 October with ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien performing George Lewis' Your Network is Unstable alongside the Austrian premiere of Weathering, conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni.
And closing the month, on 31 October Solem Quartet presents the world premiere of a new string quartet by Ryan Latimer as part of the Barber Concert Series at Birmingham University's Elgar Concert Hall.
