Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

Prishtina

Elgar and Heifetz’s Third Finger

Elgar Meets Heifetz (Short talk given at RAM ‘Soundbox’ series, and Elgar Society Study Day, Northampton University, 2008)     On the 5th May 1920, George Bernard Shaw penned his by now legendary note to the 19-year old Heifetz.   My Dear Heifetz  Your recital has filled my wife and I with anxiety. If you [...]

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony-a side look…

  A side look at Beethoven 9. Talk given as part of the ‘Barbirolli Lecture’ series at the Royal Academy of Music. 2008 On the 21st January 1825, the great double-bassist Domenico Dragonettti wrote to the Philharmonic Society:   “I will accept the engagement for the ensuing season at 10 Guineas per night, and play [...]

Composers and performers multitask

Work on ‘Il Cannone’

Transcription of investigative session on the del Gesu ‘Il Cannone’. Royal Academy of Music, Spring 2006# Paganini-A Major Prelude (Unpublished) Peter Sheppard Skaerved playing Il Cannone Gut strings, Paganini model bridge. 2006 London Peter Sheppard Skaerved working on ‘Il Cannone’ LINK to Paganini-Capriccio ‘non cor piu’-1820 (Magdeburg MS) version [Unedited transcript] As part of the [...]

Paganini

First meeting with Il Cannone. June 2005. Genoa Photo: Anna Rita Certo Peter began collaboration with the City of Genoa in 2005. Since then, he has performed on Paganni’s violin ‘il Cannone’ a number of times, in the UK and Italy, one of the very few living players to have had this honour.

Pre-Concert Talk-‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’

‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’ (Pre-Concert Talk.Given at Wilton’s Music Hall January 4th 2009)     Two versions of Telemann’s signature   The very first time that I performed the cycle of solo works by Bach, was in a medieval church in Norwich, late at night. The organisers of the concert had had the bright idea that [...]

Kreutzers at Wilton’s

  Schubert and Mendelssohn at Wilton’s Music Hall December 2009 http://www.wiltons.org.uk/productions/music/mendelssohn-and-schubert-the-glorious-1820s-part-1 Schubert Update: link  On the 13th December, the Kreutzers will be back at Wilton’s for two December concerts. These two concerts focus on the dramatic music which Schubert and Mendelssohn produced in the 1820’s.  However, our first concert includes an interloper, 4 Comic Ländler [...]

Kreutzer Quartet at York University

  Kreutzer Quartet at York University    The Kreutzers are ‘Ensemble in Residence’ the University of York. On the 15th December they will be giving a concert and working with compositions students there. One young composer from York, Benjamin Gait has usefully provided a theme, which will unite the lunchtime concert and the day of [...]