The London-born double bass virtuoso will come to Kraków with a composition prepared specially for the festival. The inspiration for The Blue Shroud was the painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso. But the story behind the piece’s conception is set in modern, eerily evocative history.
“There are three strands that informed my writing of The Blue Shroud” says Barry Guy. “The bombing in 1937 of the Basque city of Guernica by German Condor Legion pilots at the invitation of Franco, the painting by Pablo Picasso that arose following the event, and in more recent times (2003) a blue drape that was hung over a tapestry reproduction of the Guernica painting in the United Nations building before U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his case for invading Iraq to T. V. viewers and the world in general. Incontestably, the Guernica image of death, panic and mayhem would have sent a far too literal message about the horrors of war to the receivers of Powell’s statement. In an act of extreme cowardice, it was deemed necessary to sanitize the presentation, so the tapestry was covered with a blue drape by U.S. staff and media personnel prior to the broadcast.” Studying the history of Guernica led the artist to believe it could form the basis of a musical composition – a composition that could capture the human spirit that lets people stand up to tyranny.
The piece was created by a multinational ensemble which, according to Guy, had to be able to move freely both in improvisation and baroque music. The author reveals that weaved into The Blue Shroud are fragments of compositions by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber and Johann Sebastian Bach. Among the orchestra instruments we will hear for instance Baroque violin, viola and oboe. These fragments have not been “jazzified”; rather, the sounds of early music sit comfortably next to modern means of expression. The text was provided by vocalist Savina Yannatou, who consulted it with the Irish poet Kerry Hardie. Entitled Symbols of Guernica, its universal message makes The Blue Shroud a composition that reflects on the human condition; it is not meant to be read as a political statement.
The world premiere of The Blue Shroud at Studio im. Romany Bobrowskiej (Radio Kraków) will be preceded by three smaller shows of the Blue Shroud Band at Alchemia. The concerts will be divided into sets during which we will hear Barry Guy himself, Maya Homburger, Ben Dwyer and many orchestra members for whom it will be a first appearance before a Kraków audience.
Tickets 30 zł in advance, 40 zł on the day of the concert (Alchemia, 18, 19, 20,)
Tickets 60 zł in advance, 80 zł on the day of the concert – Studio im. Romany Bobrowskiej (Radio Kraków)
PROGRAMME:
TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2014, 7 P.M., ALCHEMIA, ESTERY 5
Polish Improvised Music: Mateusz Gawęda – piano & Sławomir Pezda – tenor sax
Set 1:
Peter Evans solo
Peter Evans / Barry Guy duo
Ben Dwyer solo
Julius Gabriel / Barry Guy / Ramón Lopez trio
Set 2:
Peter Evans / Torben Snekkestad duo
Savina Yannatou / Barry Guy duo
Set 3:
Per Texas Johansson / Michael Niesemann duo
Michel Godard / Fanny Paccoud / Lucas Niggli trio
Agusti Fernandez solo
WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2014 , 7 P.M., ALCHEMIA, ESTERY 5
Polish Improvised Music: Tomasz Gadecki – tenor sax & Marcin Brożek – bass guitar
Set 1:
Maya Homburger / Barry Guy / Lucas Niggli trio
Savina Yannatou / Fanny Paccoud duo
Savina Yannatou / Fanny Paccoud / Per Texas Johansson trio
Set 2:
Torben Snekkestad / Barry Guy duo
Ben Dwyer solo
Peter Evans / Agusti Fernandez / Lucas Niggli / Ramon Lopez quartet
Set 3:
Michael Niesemann / Maya Homburger duo
Michael Niesemann / Maya Homburger / Michel Godard trio
Torben Snekkestad / Julius Gabriel / Michel Godard / Per Texas Johansson quartet
THURSDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2014, 8 P.M., ALCHEMIA, ESTERY 5
Set 1:
Barry Guy / Michael Niesemann duo
Ben Dwyer solo
Peter Evans / Ben Dwyer / Agusti Fernandez trio
Set 2:
Torben Snekkestad / Fanny Paccoud / Lucas Niggli trio
Torben Snekkestad / Fanny Paccoud / Lucas Niggli / Barry Guy quartet
Torben Snekkestad / Fanny Paccoud / Lucas Niggli / Barry Guy / Julius Gabriel quintet
Michel Godard / Per Texas Johansson duo
Set 3:
Agusti Fernandez / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez / Savina Yannatou / Peter Evans
Ad hoc formations
GRAND FINALE – STUDIO IM.ROMANY BOBROWSKIEJ (RADIO KRAKÓW),
22 SŁOWACKIEGO Av., FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2014, 8 P.M.
Savina Yannatou – voice (GR)
Michel Godard – tuba and serpent (FR)
Ben Dwyer – guitar (IR)
Agusti Fernandez – piano (ESP)
Torben Snekkestad – soprano/tenor saxes (NOR)
Michael Niesemann – alto sax/oboe (D)
Per Texas Johansson – tenor/clarinet saxes (S)
Peter Evans – trumpet (USA)
Julius Gabriel – baritone/soprano saxes (D)
Maya Homburger – violin (CH)
Fanny Paccoud – viola (FR)
Lucas Niggli – percussion (CH)
Ramon Lopez – percussion (FR)
Barry Guy – bass (CH)
