Colin in rehearsals with Huw Watkins
June 28th sees the World Premiere of ‘Seven Inventions’ for Marimba and Piano, written for me by Huw Watkins. For twenty odd years I have been a huge admirer of this composer’s music and astounding skills as a chamber musician and piano soloist. His music is incredibly deep - very direct yet also superbly subtle. We long discussed how best to inaugurate some new music for us to play together, and finally settled on a highly ‘pared-down’ setting of marimba and piano - perhaps the purest medium for our combined forces. The result is ‘Seven Inventions’ - all of which dig heartily into the sonic possibilities of these two keyboard instruments working in tandem. Sometimes explosive, often hushed, they contrast and combine beautifully and all have a unique ‘singing’ quality that is both highly expressive and heartfelt.
Our thanks go to all the parties involved in the commission of this work, which will assuredly receive a lot of play from us and also the wider marimba/piano community!
Huw Watkins ‘Seven Inventions’ for Marimba and Piano was co-commissioned by East Neuk Festival, Wigmore Hall and Great Music in Irish Houses Festival and supported by the PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders programme and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.