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BBC Radio 4 ‘More Than Words’ – A listening festival for Bristol live at St George’s Bristol, 16-18 March 2012

‘More Than Words’ is a wonderful free weekend of live performance, comedy, storytelling, conversation, drama, and poetry courtesy of BBC Radio 4.

Celebrating Bristol and some of the great shows made by Radio 4 in the area and beyond, this will be a thought-provoking and inspiring weekend, not to mention a lot of fun. The theme is “listening” which, in a fast paced world, is something we all struggle to make time for. This is your chance to reconnect with thoughtful listening and to come face-to-face with wonderful thinkers, journalists, writers, comedians, actors and poets in the process. You can join them for discussions, drama, conversation and entertaining perspectives on a wide range of topics and, of course, there will be a chance for you to make your voice heard as well. It will also be an opportunity for you to experience some of the most exciting local talent Bristol currently has to offer.

The following events are taking place here at St George’s, but for details of the full programme of events across the city visit the ‘More Than Words’ website. Details of how you can get tickets follow.

Friday 16 March

Desert Island Discs – 6.30pm
The festival kicks off with a special 70th anniversary recording of Desert Island Discs. Singer-songwriter & jazz-pianist, Jamie Cullum will be Kirsty Young’s castaway.

Broadcasting House Workshop – 7.45pm
A chance to see how Paddy O’Connell’s Broadcasting House programme is made. Join Paddy and the team for an editorial meeting… and bring your ideas.

Great Lives with Matthew Parris – 9pm
Radio 4′s biographical series looks at some of the world’s most fascinating and influential characters. Matthew Parris invites a special guest and an expert to reveal the real person behind the reputation.

Saturday 17 March

Loose Ends with Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith – 11am
Lively conversation, music and comedy brought to you by the Radio 4 Loose Ends team headed by Clive Anderson and Arthur Smith. Surprising and engaging guests and live music.

Bristol Readings – 3pm
Three ground-breaking and talented writers from Bristol push the boundaries of radio fiction in specially commissioned stories bringing together words and sounds.

A Good Read – 5.30pm
Lively conversation and passionate opinions as presenter Harriett Gilbert and two guests recommend their favourite reads for one of Radio 4′s best loved book programmes.

Wondermentalist Cabaret – 8pm
Poet, performer and enemy of all that’s difficult and upsetting, the matchless Matt Harvey presents a comedy-infused, musically-enhanced, slightly interactive poetry cabaret.

Sunday 18 March

Broadcasting House with Paddy O’Connell – 9am
Join Paddy O’Connell and his guests for a live broadcast of news, views and discussion with a difference.

Readings with A L Kennedy: Are You Inexperienced? – 11.30am
A trilogy of short stories comes from award-winning writer, dramatist, performer and long term aerophobic A L Kennedy.

With Great Pleasure – Cerys Matthews – 2pm
A chance to hear singer-songwriter, broadcaster and multi-instrumentalist Cerys Matthews as she shares an eclectic and personal mix of some of her favourite pieces of poetry, prose and song, joined by actors and musicians.

Poetry Please with Roger McGough – 4.30pm
National treasure Roger McGough, the regular presenter of Radio 4′s Poetry Please, is joined by well-known actors to share requests for poems that celebrate sounds and the joy of listening.

For tickets and information

Tickets for these events are free and only available by registering your request at bbc.co.uk/tickets

Due to the popularity of these shows the BBC is operating a random draw. You can register for a maximum of two tickets per recording and one recording per household.

Applications for tickets will be accepted at any time from Monday 20 February at 9am until Friday 2 March at 4pm.

Please note these tickets will not be available from St George’s Bristol Box Office.

For more information on the festival go to bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/more-than-words

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Mon 13 Feb – Sun 1 Apr, Doric Room

Since graduating from the Royal College of Art, I have been concentrating on making abstract paintings, with an emphasis on a strong and distinctive use of colour. I am interested in the process of creating a painting, and how elements of accident and chance influence the outcome.

Although my paintings are abstract, they usually have a sense of a landscape space, and are often influenced by the colours of the Caribbean. I am interested in aspects landscape painting, and currently I am trying to find a way of combining both elements of my work in some new way.

niamh-collins.com

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St George’s is currently recruiting for an experienced Box Office Manager

Box Office Manager

£17,500 per annum

Do you have experience within a Box Office or ticketing role? Do you have a background in customer services (having previously supervised part-time staff), possess strong experience of financial reporting and excellent IT skills? Do you have an eye for detail, the ability to multi-task, and work well under pressure? Do you have an active interest in music?

This is a unique opportunity for a dynamic individual to assist the Head of Audience Development and Marketing to build and develop the Box Office service of this leading arts organisation.

You can download a job description, application form and equal opportunities form below, or alternatively request them from Matthew Little, Recruitment Assistant (Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm), on 0117 929 4929, m.little@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk.

Application deadline: 5pm, Tue 31 Jan 2012.
Interviews: week commencing Mon 6 Feb 2012.

Download: Box Office Manager. Job Description
Download: Box Office Manager. Application Form
Download: Box Office Manager: Equal Opportunities Form

Bar Staff

Application deadline: These positions have now been filled.

The following interview was originally published in the ‘Independent On Sunday’ on Sunday 9 November 2003…

Answer The Questions: Ennio Morricone
By Phil Johnson

“I always give it everything – total creativity”

How did you become a film composer?
Almost by chance. I had just finished my studies at the conservatory in Rome and I needed to work, so I started arranging songs and records and working for TV and radio. After a while, Luciano Salce called me for the film Il federale, as I had already worked with him. I composed the music for the film and that started my career as a composer of film scores. I must say that working for cinema has been a precious experience because it gave me the chance to experiment with my ideas, to listen to them performed by an orchestra and then use them for a precise aim, i.e. the film. I think that a good composer for film must have a complete knowledge of composition and orchestration techniques, but also a wide knowledge of musical styles and languages.

Some composers find writing for the cinema frustrating. What is your view?
Composing film scores means that the composer must adapt his ideas to the film, the director and the audience. This, of course, limits the composer’s freedom, but nevertheless the composer can, and must, find his own freedom within these bounds. He must find a simple reason why he chooses every single note and sound. That is the only way of defending one’s identity as a composer and creating a personal style.

Do you like to be involved in the film-making process during production or earlier, or are you happy to come in when filming is completed?
The way that I work usually depends on the director and I rarely go when he is filming. There are just a few exceptions. I remember once on Once Upon a Time in America, I went on set in Rome because Sergio Leone sent for me. I saw the scene in which De Niro was in this place where they smoked opium, and this Chinese woman took him a drink. Leone repeated the scene many times, always telling the woman how to act the scene. She continued to do it in the same way. I thought it was absurd.

Favourite genre: sword and sandals, western or political thriller?
I don’t have a favourite genre; on the contrary. I believe that a film composer should compose all kinds of music for all films. I have tried to widen my experiences and in all kinds of music, from ethnic to classic, but I have also tried to keep my personal viewpoint and style for every genre.

Of all the films you have worked on, what is your favourite and why?
I was asked this question many times, but I never replied, because there is no music that I love more than the rest. Every time I have composed I always did it giving everything, total creativity. There are, of course, better scores, but I can’t say which ones.

How do you feel about DJs and pop producers sampling your work?
I am honoured and surprised that this happens. Maybe this is due to the fact that, composing film scores, I have always written simple music with simple harmonies and melodies that are easy to play, even with a guitar. I don’t always approve the use that some make of my music, but I believe that this is right. I mean that all creative composers and artists must put something personal into their work. So, it is necessary that whoever uses my music uses it with a personal style, even if I don’t agree.

_________________________________________________

Morricone at FILMIC

The music of Ennio Morricone features in several events, concerts and screenings as part of our ‘FILMIC’ festival of film and music, presented in association with Watershed:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Screening at Watershed
Sun 5 Feb, Midday

Christopher Frayling: For a Few Guitars More – Talk at Watershed
Sun 5 Feb, 2.30pm

Spaghetti Western Orchestra – Concert at St George’s
Thu 9 Feb, 8pm

Big Gundown – Screening at Watershed
Sun 12 Feb, Midday

Death Rides a Horse – Screening at Watershed
Sun 19 Feb, Midday

Rota/Morricone – Concert at St George’s
Thu 23 Feb, 8pm

Once Upon a Time in the West – Screening at Watershed
Sun 26 Feb, Midday

FILMIC is a new annual festival dedicated to the various intersections of music and film. Organised by St George’s and Watershed, it is intended to reflect the cultural interests of the city of Bristol – where music often suggests the filmic, even if there is no film involved – and to mix the work of local artists with that of major international figures. The inaugural 2012 event features four concerts at St George’s and a programme of film screenings and talks at Watershed. The launch of FILMIC takes place at St George’s on Thursday 9 February with a performance by Australia’s sensational Spaghetti Western Orchestra (page 07), who appeared at the Proms last summer, followed by an aftershow party in the bar featuring composer Colin Tully and his band Sensoriumplaying Colin’s original music for ‘Gregory’s Girl’. 

On Thursday 23 February (page 10), we present the double-bill of Rota / Morricone, with John Law performing solo piano versions of Nino Rota’s film themes followed by The Greatness of the Magnificence‘s ‘Looking for Ennio’, a magical tribute to Ennio Morricone from the fabulous collective of Bristol musicians led by Jesse Morningstar. On Thursday 8 March it’s the turn of the Dodge Brothers (page 12), film critic Mark Kermode‘s rocking and rootsy country-billy band, supported by south Devon’s bluegrass-picking twins, the Carrivick Sisters.

On Saturday 31 March (page 15) the festival reaches a fitting climax with the legendary film composer, songwriter and pianist Michel Legrand, who follows a rare ‘In Conversation With’ event and screening at Watershed at 2.30pm with a 7.30pm concert at St George’s which draws from the whole of his illustrious film career in sumptuous, mini-orchestral arrangements for piano and harp.

FILMIC at WATERSHED

Throughout February, Watershed screens a selection of classic Spaghetti Westerns curated by Sir Christopher Frayling, including ‘The Good, the Bad and The Ugly’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’, and hosts an illustrated talk from Frayling himself on the use of music in the genre on Sunday 5th February. In March Watershed focuses on the film music of Michel Legrand with the man himself taking part ‘In Conversation’ on Sat 31 March at the venue, ahead of his evening concert at St George’s.  A programme of films featuring his original music is also being planned.

For full programme and running times please visit: watershed.co.uk/filmic

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Pilar Cortés Núñez

A Postcard From Nowhere

A small-scale yet engaging exhibition of impressive seascapes, landscapes and portraiture, and works from the evocative ‘A Postcard From Nowhere’ series, by Mexican painter Pilar Cortés, now living and working in Bristol.

pilarcortes.co.uk

Exhibiting from Mon 19 Dec 2011.

Exhibition Preview

Fri 13 Jan from 6pm

With live music performance by seven(-or-more)-piece good-time folk troupe Boxcar Aldous Huxley, all wild-westy hobo waltzes and off-kilter paeans to a dusty, bare-knuckled past.

boxcaraldoushuxley.co.uk

Free admission.

Pilar Cortés was born 1982 in Mexico City. A passionate painter from a young age, she studied visual art at the National School of Arts, part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), considered one of the leading schools of art in Latin America.

Her work has exhibited widely throughout Mexico, the UK and elsewhere, including the Arbol Gallery Valencia Spain, Fine Arts Cali Colombia, Museum of Mexico City, Gallery Sector Reforma Guadalajara Mexico, Faculty of Creative Arts UWE Bristol, the Bath Fringe Visual Arts Festival 2010 and 2011, and the Paul Hamlyn Library, British Museum London.

Since graduating in 2007, Pilar has staged two solo exhibitions at the Centre for Culture, Tuxtla Gutierrez Chiapas, Mexico of her series ‘Proyecto Radarte.tv’ and ‘Because we are where we are not’, the latter exploring the philosophical concept of the sublime.

Since 2008, Pilar has lived and worked in Bristol. In September 2011, Pilar was invited to participate in the performance ‘From Morning till night’ by Katerina Seda at Tate Modern.

Friday 16 December

In September we submitted an application to Grants for the Arts at a level of £60,000 to invest in the artistic programme at St George’s Bristol from January 2012 to May 2013. We are keen to build on our past successes; sustaining our high quality chamber music programming so that is expansive and ambitious, and reinforcing St George’s Bristol’s reputation as an originator of distinctive, imaginative series and festivals.

Our programme is acclaimed nationwide and is vital to the profile not only of St George’s, but music in Bristol and the South West region as a whole. However, while programming this level of artistic quality is inspirational it is also costly. Income generated through ticket sales makes a significant contribution to concert costs but is limited by two factors: we have only 562 seats and we choose not to inflate prices to a level where attendance would become difficult or impossible for the majority of our audience. Financial support is needed to secure this aspect of our work while we continue to develop a robust and sustainable Business Plan for the organization.

We are delighted to have just received confirmation that our application has been successful for the full £60,000.

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Lunchtime Classics Great music bite sized

Music’s finest (lunch)hour

This spring, St George’s showcases the phenomenal talents of some of today’s brightest young musicians and chamber music ensembles, playing diverse programmes of superb music , from the epic breadth of Rachmaninov’s piano works, through brilliant brass showmanship, to the vividly stunning works of John Ireland.

And the inspirational Soloists of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, leading exponents of period instrument performance, return for a special four-concert series seeking out Haydn’s hidden chamber music repertoire, to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

So, whether you’re hungry for new experiences, fancy time away from the office, or simply want to relax while out shopping, make the most of your lunch-hour: world-class culture in the heart of Bristol, fantastic music on your doorstep.

Tickets
Unless otherwise stated: £7; £4 Under-18s and students; free for Jobseekers. All seats unreserved. Senior Citizen’s Flexi Series Ticket available.

All concerts start at 1pm unless otherwise stated and last approximately 55 minutes.

At a glance

Thu 26 Jan 1pm
Peter Cigleris (clarinet) / Martin Cousins (piano)

Fri 3 Feb 1pm
Young Musicians Showcase

Thu 16 Feb 1pm
Mark Bebbington (piano)

Thu 1 Mar 1pm
Soloists of the OAE Hidden Haydn l

Thu 8 Mar 1pm
Metropolitan Brass Ensemble

Thu 15 Mar 1pm
Soloists of the OAE Hidden Haydn ll

Thu 22 Mar 1pm
Yuri Paterson-Olenich (piano)

Thu 29 Mar 1pm
Soloists of the OAE Hidden Haydn lll

Thu 12 Apr 1pm
Christina Lawrie (piano)

Thu 19 Apr 1pm
Masumi Yamamoto (harpsichord)

Thu 26 Apr 1pm
Soloists of the OAE Hidden Haydn lV

Thu 3 May 1pm
Ishay Shaer (piano)

Thu 10 May 1pm
Opus 1 Piano Trio

Thu 17 May 1pm
Ben Kearsley (guitar)

Thu 31 May 1pm
Edgar Bailey (violin) / Maria Marchant (piano)

Promoted by St George’s Bristol.

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Experience the best of late-night St George’s.

Free-entry late-night events at St George’s: late bars, exclusive drinks promotions and storming live music performances from fantastic guest musicians and DJs playing thrillingly diverse music.

And best of all admission is free.

Come along, bring friends, meet new ones and explore St George’s after dark with: Brainwashing House (Thu 19 Jan 10pm); Sensorium (Thu 9 Feb 10pm); Henry Shaftoe’s Vibratronics (Thu 1 Mar 10pm); Emily Wright Moonlight Saving Time (Thu 22 Mar 10pm); Andy Hague Quintet (Fri 23 Mar 10pm); Pete Judge Trio (Sat 31 Mar 10pm); and Jim Blomfield Group (Thu 26 Apr 10pm).

Promoted by St George’s Bristol.

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Spring 2012 Season Booking opens Mon 5 Dec 2011

The ‘Classical Concerts’ Spring 2012 Brochure, listing all classical music events, ‘Contemporary Gigs’ Spring 2012 Brochure, listing all acoustic, folk, jazz and world music events, and ‘Children’s and Family Concerts’ Spring 2012 Leaflet, listing all kid-friendly family shows, are now available to view online.

General / Online Booking for all events opens Mon 5 Dec 2011 at 10am.