Entertainment: What is this post-classical malarkey at Brighton Festival?

Brighton Festival is coming soon and I’m giddily excited about it. I generally go to as many shows as I can fit in/afford, and next week I am writing in our exciting supplement picking highlights from the whole programme. This week however I’d like to focus on a quiet gem in the programme that might have slipped past you in the rush of all the events on offer.

130701, an imprint of the Brighton-based FatCat Records, plays an important role in the development of post-classical music and lists Max Richter, Hauschka and Johann Johannsson on their roster. Three of their signings are playing in one evening at The Spire, including Dmitry Evgrafov’s airy music that recalls a Scandinavian landscape in some moments, then Steve Reich in others.

Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch’s compositions sometimes focus on the piano, recalling the delicate melodies of Nils Frahm while other tracks have led to soundtrack commissions from HBO and the BBC. Resina’s music (aka cellist/composer Karolina Rec) is more sparse and strange however, using tape delay and live looping (a technique that is all the rage in Brighton’s student population so there could be a large potential fanbase for her work here).

Regular readers will know that I’m a keen fan of crossover appeal and classical music reaching a wider audience. I think that artists such as Max Richter are brilliant at broadening people’s musical horizons and opening their ears up to the possibilities of classical music. (Richter’s reconstructed Four Seasons is a delight for example). I’ve never been to The Spire before so a new venue is also a nice thing to try out, and I hope to see you there in the crowd of the musically curious.

The Spire, Tuesday 10 May, £14
http://brightonfestival.org/event/8213/new_blood_130701/