International Concert Series 2023-24
Phantasy. Fantasy. Fantasia. What's in a name? The 'phantasy' can often take us on a meandering journey through the night, with improvised (occasionally folkish) melodies, freely winding from one path to another. The art of improvisation found in phantasies is as old as instrumental music. Fantasias recorded on sheet music span from the lute fantasias of Bálint Bakfark to the dazzling Baroque repertoire to a somewhat humbler crop in the Classical period to the virtuoso concert paraphrases of the 19th century.
Join us for an evening of Michael Blake, Florence Price, Messiaen and Schoenberg, as violinst Darragh Morgan and pianist Mary Dullea treat us to this recital on a theme of phantasy.
This event is presented as part of Royal Holloway's International Concert Series 2023-24.
Event programme
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Fantasia for Solo Violin, No. 7 in E-flat major, TWV 40:20
Michael Blake (b. 1951): Fantasy Sonata for Violin and Piano (DSIML)
César Franck (1822-1890): III. Recitativo-Fantasia from Sonata for Violin and Piano
Florence Price (1887-1953): Fantasy No. 2 in F-sharp minor for Violin and Piano
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Fantaisie for Violin and Piano
Morgan Hayes (b. 1973): Trans-Pose (1-3) for Violin and Piano
Joseph Phibbs (b. 1974): Fantasia for Violin and Piano
Arnold Schonberg (1874-1954): Phantasy for Violin and Piano Op. 47
About the performers
Described by The Strad Magazine as ‘hugely impressive, he plays with seemingly effortless control’ Irish violinist Darragh Morgan was born in Belfast in 1974. A renowned exponent of contemporary music, Darragh has appeared as a soloist at Aldeburgh Festival, Philips Collection Washington DC, Wiener Konzerthaus, Spitalfields Festival, Osterfestival Tirol and BBC Proms Chamber Music. His numerous concerto appearances with The Ulster Orchestra include the World Premiere of ‘Hymn of Dawn’ by Sir John Tavener which he also performed with Istanbul Symphony Orchestra. With National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland he has toured Beethoven Triple Concerto, recorded ‘Elastic Harmonic’ by Donnacha Dennehy for NMC Recordings and he has premiered Brian Irvine’s ‘A Mon Seul Desir’. With RTÉ Concert Orchestra and London Musici/Rambert Dance Company he has given over 40 performances of ‘Tabula Rasa’ by Arvo Pärt (including in the presence of the composer). Darragh gave the South African premiere of Barber Violin Concerto with the KZN Philhamonic Orchestra. Other concerto appearances have included Kölner Kammerorchester and Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with such distinguished musicians as Thomas Adès, Emmanuel Pahud, Darius Brubeck, Joanna MacGregor, Julian Bliss, Nicholas Daniel, John Tilbury, Mícheál Ò Súilleabháin and David Holmes. Read more.
As soloist and chamber musician, Irish pianist Mary Dullea leads a diverse performance career internationally. Her frequent broadcasts include BBC Radio 3, Radio 4, RTHK, RTÉ Lyric FM, WQXR, Radio New Zealand and Sky Arts, Irish, French, Austrian and Italian television. Concerto appearances include RTÉ Concert Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. Of her multiple CD releases, recent collaborations include premiere recordings of Philip Glass for Orange Mountain Music and, on Divine Art Métier, solo piano music from Iran by composers Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour and Hormoz Farhat. Read more.
Car parking
When you arrive for a College event at our Egham campus, please park in car parks 12 or 4.
Car park 12 can be accessed by turning right as you enter the main College gates and is located next to the tennis courts. If this car park is full, please drive further onto our campus to car park 4, which can be accessed by turning left at the mini-roundabout behind the Students’ Union. We would advise that you bring the College map to campus with you and give yourself plenty of time to park.
Blue Badge holders can find designated parking spaces in Car park 1W, as well as between Gardeners Lodge and the Williams Annexe. You can find these locations by looking at our campus map opposite. If you require any assistance on arrival, please contact our premises team in advance of your visit by emailing: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk and they will be happy to help.
Please note that we operate an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system on certain parts of our campus, however if you are here for an organised event, parking is unrestricted for event guests in car parks 12, 4 or 14 (or display your blue badge permit if parking in a disabled bay). If you have any questions about parking, please email: premisesadmin@royalholloway.ac.uk
Further information
Advanced booking is essential.
Tickets
Ticket prices are £12.50 (standard); £10.00 (Concession; over 60s); £5.00 for Royal Holloway alumni and non-Royal Holloway students; FREE for Royal Holloway students, Royal Holloway staff and children under the age of 16. Season Tickets apply to this event.
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