Phases, phrases and palindromes

PHASES, PHRASES, AND PALINDROMES

Grant McLachlan, composer, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town; VOX Cape Town

Wednesday 29 January  7.30 pm  COURSE FEES R175; Staff and students R150

VENUE Baxter Theatre Concert Hall

Music can stir our emotions more than any other human activity. We dance, play, work and relax by listening to music, and it’s a constant companion in our lives. Yet music is fundamentally a product of physics, a series of waves and patterns matched, contrasted and set against each other. These patterns give us what we expect; they surprise us, they excite us and they can make us cry. Using algorithms such as musical palindromes and Euclidean rhythms, this lecture-recital will excite and delight, showcasing some of history’s favourite composers.

In his lecture-performances at UCT’s Summer School over the last few years, Cape Town-based composer Grant McLachlan has earned a reputation for turning conventional history of music on its head and encouraging audiences to experience concert-going in new and exciting ways, as will be done in this lecture-recital.

Composers performed will include J.S. Bach, Joseph Haydn, John Tavener, Steve Reich, Arco Pärt, and Grant McLachlan.

VOX Cape Town, conducted by John Woodland, is well known for its innovative approach to choral music. They will be joined by Lucia Di Blasio Scott on violin, Neil Robertson on flute and organ, and Grant McLachlan on piano.

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/performance.aspx?itemid=1554775805

Grant McLachlan is a South African composer based in Cape Town who holds master’s degree in composition from King’s College, London, and a film music degree from Bournemouth University. Grant spent nearly 20 years in England during which time he composed extensively for chamber ensembles and for choirs. Since returning to South Africa in 1994, Grant has specialised in composing for natural history films, and has scored music for more than 120 wildlife and feature film productions over the last 3 three decades. He has composed for many broadcasters, including the BBC, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Animal Planet, Discovery, ZDF, NKH, Terra Mater, and many more. Other films Grant has composed for include Cosmic Africa (best music, Stone awards); Faith Like Potatoes; Killer Whales; The Megahunt; and 2099: The Soldier Protocol; a documentary on the penguins at Boulder’s Beach called City Slickers. Since 2020, Grant has been presenting lectures for the UCT Summer School, exploring music in human, emotional and scientific contexts.