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http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=04-Feb-2011&lang=en&s=3915
http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=04-Feb-2011&lang=en&s=3915
04-Feb-2011
Owen Murray Performs in ‘The Plague’, London – UKby Roland Williams |
 ‘The Plague’, which was performed at London’s Barbican Centre on Sunday 15th January 2011, was commissioned by the BBC and first performed in 1964. It is based on a musical setting of a novel entitled ‘The Plague’, by the French writer Albert Camus. The novel tells the story of a town on the coast of Algeria which is hit by a plague carried by rats and all the horrors and effects ongoing from that.Roberto Gerhard (1896 – 1970) set the story to music using a narrator, a large chorus and orchestra (the London orchestra Da Camera, conducted by David Temple) with the orchestration including a large part for accordion, which adds brilliantly to the orchestral tonal color of the accompaniment of the narrator and choir. This Barbican performance received high praise from the music critics. The accordion part by Owen Murray blended brilliantly with choir and percussion in some of the most dramatic parts of the score and the narration, so much so, that one critic described it as ‘the lungs’ of the orchestra. Owen Murry received with the conductor and narrator an especially loud cheer from a very appreciative Barbican audience. Roberto Gerhard, also composed a ‘Concerto for 8 instruments’, one of which is the accordion. Like ‘The Plague’ it is a rarely performed work but one of exceptional tonal colour. |