BBC Radio 3 places Hull centre stage in 2017
Alan Davey, Controller BBC Radio 3 today announced a major commitment to the city of Hull as part of UK City of Culture, with five distinctive broadcast moments in 2017 that will shine a light on the city.
Published: 24 November 2016
This includes Mutations of Musical Modernism, a concert that responds to Basil Kirchin’s love of texture and sonic collage; Uproot, a season in April focusing on folk and world music reflecting Hull’s rich folk and roots heritage from Hull Truck Theatre; a focus on new music in partnership with the PRS for Music Foundation for New Music Biennial in July, a Big Chamber Weekend and Contains Strong Language a poetry season.
Alan Davey, Controller, BBC Radio 3, says: “Director-General Tony Hall has vowed that the BBC will be ‘unashamedly Hull-centric in 2017’ and as part of that commitment and BBC Radio 3’s aim to connect audiences with remarkable music and culture, we will be proudly putting Hull centre stage.
"As a cultural patron, BBC Radio 3 is constantly innovating and commissioning new work. By working in partnership with Hull 2017 we hope to reflect that innovation on the ground, sharing with our millions of listeners a raft of distinctive live music performance, new talent showcases and poetry programming that reflect the wonderful things happening in the city.”
Martin Green, CEO and Director, Hull 2017, says: “The BBC has made a massive commitment to Hull 2017, taking forward the Director General's aim to make the Corporation 'Hull-centric' next year. This incredibly diverse Radio 3 programming is just one example how we are working together to help deliver 365 days of great culture for audiences in Hull and across the UK.
"We are delighted to be working with the BBC on so many great events as part of Hull 2017, from music to literature. They are partnering on a variety of key events throughout the year, which we hope will excite, entertain and reach out to audiences in Hull and across the UK."
AH
Sunday 19 February
Members of the BBC Concert Orchestra and a range of musical free sprits will combine forces as Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory curates a programme that responds and reacts to composer Basil Kirchin’s fascination with texture and sonic collage.
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Hear and Now and will feature a series of pieces specially devised for the occasion. St. Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have created Abstractions of Holderness, an audio-visual work inspired by Kirchin’s 1970s residency in the isolated towns and villages of Holderness in East Yorkshire.
Sonic Youth’s Jim O’Rourke will respond to his favourite Kirchin piece Integration, with a new work designed to highlight Scottish saxophonist Raymond MacDonald, and Will Gregory will explore the sonic potential of the human voice and Kirchin’s love of birdsong.
This event is the cornerstone of Mind on the Run: The Basil Kirchin Story, a weekend of music, film and talks celebrating the forgotten genius of post-war British music Basil Kirchin and produced by Serious, J-Night, Nova Studios and University of Hull.
Uproot
Thursday 6 - Saturday 8 April
BBC Radio 3 will take up residence at Hull Truck Theatre for a three-day festival of ground-breaking folk and roots music. Reflecting on the city’s rich musical heritage, the festival will feature live concerts that celebrate the musicianship of both Hull based and international artists.
Performing in their home town, the live concert will feature the first family of English Folk - the Waterson family with Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy. Hull-based Eliza Carthy will curate a concert of cutting edge folk featuring the Arms Wide Orchestra. Hull’s links with their twin towns in Sierra Leone and Poland will be reflected in performances by international artists the Warsaw Village Band and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars.
Friday 30 June - Sunday 2 July
BBC Radio 3 alongside the PRS for Music Foundation will present the New Music Biennial an exciting and free new music festival which forms part of Hull 2017 UK City of Culture. The New Music Biennial will present 20 pieces of new music across all genres: from classical and chamber opera to jazz, folk and electronic at two festival weekends in Hull and at London’s Southbank Centre. Sam Lee, Anna Meredith, Eliza Carthy, Mark Simpson, Errollyn Wallen, GoGo Penguin, Daniel Elms and Jocelyn Pook are among the 20 composers taking part.
The BBC’s Orchestras will also take part with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Concert Orchestra performing in the city. The BBC Philharmonic will perform new works by Simon Holt and Mica Levi, as part of the New Music Biennial. The PRS for Music Foundation initiative will be presented in partnership with Hull 2017, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council England and London’s Southbank Centre.
Big Chamber Weekend
Friday 7 July – Sunday 9 July
BBC Radio 3 will take over Middleton Hall at the University of Hull for a series of four chamber music concerts curated by pianist Anna Tilbrook. She’ll be joined by the tenor James Gilchrist, viola player Roger Chase and the Sacconi Quartet in performances of pieces that in some way reflect the history and culture of Hull. This will include a new commission from composer David Bednall of texts by one of Hull’s most famous literary sons – the poet Andrew Marvell. The Big Chamber Weekend will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as a series of Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts in September 2017.
Contains Strong Language
Thursday 28 September - Sunday 1 October
Radio 3 will take part in Contains Strong Language a new national four-day, spoken word and poetry festival. Radio 3’s programming will include a series of programmes with Ian MacMillan from The Verb.
Contains Strong Language is being produced in association with Hull Humber Mouth literary festival, supported by Arts Council England, and is among one of the BBC’s highlights for Hull 2017. It and will open on National Poetry Day on September 28 and will be a celebration of both new and existing works of poetry. Much of the festival will be broadcast on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Humberside.
