Blackford: Niobe (EP) Tamsin Waley-Cohen

• Richard Blackford (1954 - ): Niobe:
• 1 I. Niobe The Lover 06:44
• 2 II. Niobe The Blasphemer 04:34
• 3 III. Niobe The Pleader 04:08
• 4 IV. Niobe The Mourner 07:43
• Total Runtime 23:09

Info for Blackford: Niobe (EP)

Renowned British composer Richard Blackford sets the Greek fable of Niobe to music in the premiere recording of his new violin concerto, performed by Tamsin Waley-Cohen with the Czech Philharmonic under conductor Ben Gernon. In the myth Niobe, who has seven daughters and seven sons, mocks Leto, goddess of motherhood yet mother of only two children, Apollo and Artemis. In revenge, Apollo murders Niobe’s sons, while Artemis kills her daughters and her husband, Amphion, king of Thebes, commits suicide. Niobe in grief turns to Zeus for help, who takes pity and turns Niobe to stone; she continues to weep, however, for eternity, her tears flowing as a stream from the rock. Comments Waley-Cohen, "The Greeks saw Niobe as a warning against hubris, but what happened to her can also be interpreted today as a tale about the overly severe punishment of women judged to have stepped out of line. Her punishment seems so brutal, as does the punishment that many women face today around the world. Richard’s concerto is an incredibly powerful piece and a story that is so relevant to women’s issues today."

Tamsin Waley-Cohen, violin
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Ben Gernon, conductor

Tamsin Waley-Cohen
Born in London in 1986, Tamsin Waley-Cohen enjoys an adventurous and varied career. In addition to concerts with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and BBC orchestras, amongst others, she has been associate artist with the Orchestra of the Swan and works with conductors including Andrew Litton and Tamás Vásáry. She enjoys a duo partnership with Huw Watkins, whose Concertino she premiered, and together they have recorded for Champs Hill and Signum Records, for whom she is a Signum Classics Artist. With her sister, composer Freya Waley-Cohen, and architects Finbarr O’Dempsey and Andrew Skulina, she holds an Open Space residency at Aldeburgh. Her love of chamber music led her to start the Honeymead Festival, now in its ninth year, and she is also artistic director of the Sunday Series at London’s Tricycle Theatre. In 2016-2017 she will be a recipient of the ECHO Rising Stars Awards. She studied at the Royal College of Music and her teachers included Itzhak Rashkovsky, Ruggiero Ricci, and András Keller.

Booklet for Blackford: Niobe (EP)