Christopher Best

composer ~ educator ~ performer ~ writer


 

Music News:


Crossing Lines Concert Poster


A view of the Theatru Manoel in Valletta, Malta,
the thrilling venue for the premiere of 'How Great,
How Fall'n'
in its new orchestral incarnation.

Maltese Premiere

Chris's orchestral adaptation of his choral piece 'How Great, How Fall'n' is to be premiered on 10th December at the Theatru Manoel in Malta (see left), performed by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Brian Schembri. Thanks to the generous support of Sound and Music and the British Council, Chris himself will assist with rehearsals and attend the premiere.

Only the brass and bells parts survive the original. The organ line is handed over to piano and piano accordion, the voices to strings and woodwind, and the structure is enlarged with a substantial amount of new material. Though the original references to the remains of Torre Abbey are obscured by the removal of the text, the spirits of timelessness and erosion still permeate the score. As before, the music encircles the audience, musicians placed on stage, in the wings of the auditorium, and off-stage out of sight.

(For more information about the original version of 'How Great, How Fall'n, please click here).

supported by:

New guitar piece set to contemporary dance

A new dance, choreographed by Emma-Jane Martin, is being created for Chris's electric guitar piece 'Echoes of a Lost Music'. Chris will perform live with Louvelle Dance Company: Kelvin Archer, Grace Clayton, Max Evans, Debbie Mason, Zoe Reynolds, Isaac Sakima and Lauren-Nicole Shuker. The first performance will be at this year's 'In The Flesh' festival in the main auditorium, the Barbican, Plymouth on Saturday 3rd December.

Show start time: 7.00pm (Echoes of a Lost Music scheduled to start at 9.10pm)
Tickets £7 (£5 concessions).
Barbican Box Office: 01752 267131


Echoes of a Lost Music in rehearsal
photos courtesy Nadine Bauer


Performing Echoes of a Lost Music...
photo courtesy Maryam Best


...at the Exeter Fringe Festival 22nd June
photo courtesy Maryam Best

The composer performs

This summer saw Chris giving four performances of his own composition 'Echoes of a Lost Music': once at University College Falmouth's Summer Festival, twice at the Exeter Fringe Festival and live on SoundArt Radio. Now there are several more performances planned. In addition to the choreographed version for The Barbican Theatre in Plymouth (see above), performances are being planned for the Daphne du Maurier Festival in Polruan, Cornwall, and the Arnolfini and Bierkeller in Bristol.

Dates and times to follow.

LISTEN: Chris discusses 'Echoes of a Lost Music' in interview with Sarah Gray on SoundArt Radio:


Alexei Galea
photo courtesy Alexei Galea

Piano sonata in rehearsal

Maltese pianist Alexei Galea is currently working towards a performance of the Piano Sonata 'Reconciliations', after having successfully premiered 'At The Eleventh Hour' at the Theatru Manoel in Valletta in December 2009.

 

Writing News:

New stories for children

Chris is currently busy writing a selection of short stories for children. The first to be completed, 'Olivia's Secret Wish', was written especially for the nine-year-old daughter of a close friend. An extract of the story can be found on the Writing Page.

 



Updated November 2011

© Christopher Best 2011