In addition to two compositions by Benjamin Britten ? The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op.34 and Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from the opera Peter Grimes ? the all-British programme will feature Hungarian premieres for Knussen's Violin Concerto, written in 2002 for Pinchas Zuckerman, as well as an orchestral suite from his children's opera, Way to Castle Yonder. Clio Gould will be soloist for the violin concerto.
Knussen, born in 1952, was a child prodigy: by his teens dozens of his works had already been performed in concert halls around the world, and he made his conducting debut at the age of 16 with the London Symphony Orchestra, standing in for István Kertész. As a conductor he regularly appears with the world?s most important orchestras, from the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra to the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. Between 1992 and 1998 he was first guest conductor with the Residentie Orchestra in the Hague, and is closely associated with the London Sinfonietta, where he is honorary musical director. From 1983 he was artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival for one and a half decades, and was director of contemporary music for the world-famous Tanglewood Festival from 1986-98.
Since 1995 he has had an exclusive contract with the Deutsche Grammophone recording company, primarily performing twentieth century repertoire, as well as his own compositions.
Clio Gould is concert master under Knussen at the London Sinfonietta and artistic director of the BT Scottish Ensemble. At the same time she has made a career as a soloist. She has performed with almost every important British orchestra, including the London Philharmonic, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Since her 1999 debut, she has been a frequent guest at the BBC Proms Festival in London. A committed and experienced interpreter of contemporary music, she is closely associated with John Tavener, John Adams, H.K.Gruber, Pierre Boulez and Oliver Knussen. Gould plays the 1694 Stradivarius known as "Rutson", which is owned by the Royal Academy of Music, London.
Source: Fidelio / Budapest Festival Orchestra
