A Scream and an Outrage

About

The Barbican is presenting a weekend-long celebration of new music on 10th-12th May, curated by celebrated New York-based composer Nico Muhly. Titled A Scream and an Outrage, the weekend features some of the most successful composers and performers whose music ignores the divide between classical and non-classical. It all kicks off with two world premieres of specially-commissioned new pieces by Nico Muhly and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. Unrivalled interpreters of the contemporary repertoire, the BBC Singers will open the first evening with Muhly's new choral composition with drones. An Outrage, followed by Lang's new percussion concerto titled man made, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Brooklyn-based innovators So Percussion. The second half will feature the European premiere of Italian-American composer Paola Prestini's new multimedia opera, Oceanic Verses readapted for the Barbican stage. Britten Sinfonia, conducted by André De Ridder, will perform music by Danà ­el Bjarnason, Bryce Dessner (The National ) and Nico Muhly. In addition, there will be a sequence of pieces from the Heart And Breath series by Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre) performed together with various guests. Two new brand collaborations with Conor J O'Brien (Villagers) and Glen Hansard, both performing Nico Muhly's orchestral arrangements of their songs. The last session of the weeked will see Philip Glass and Nico Muhly performing some of Glass's Etudes for Piano, whilst artists including Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and violinist Pekka Kuusisto present David Lang's death speaks, a work created from 32 extracts of Schubert songs, each of which details Death speaking to the living.