Former DMU Professor of Music Gavin Bryars was at DMU on Saturday 3 May to take part in the opening of the Leicester Gallery's contribution to The Art Schools of the Midlands project. Bryars was interviewed by John Beck and Matthew Cornford prior to giving a concert at St Mary de Castro church later that evening with his ensemble—Dave Smith (piano), James Woodrow (guitar), Morgan Goff (viola), Yuri Bryars (organ, bass, guitar), Audrey Riley (cello) and Bryars himself (keyboard, bass, guitar). Bryars founded the first music department at Leicester Polytechnic (now DMU), and a capacity audience witnessed this emotionally charged first performance by him at DMU since1994.
The concert included six works by Bryars from the 1960s and 70s: 1,2,1-2-3-4 (1972), The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge (1972), Catalogue (1965), 16 Continuous Fragments for solo guitar (1965), Mr Sunshine (1968) and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971). The latter work is based around a recording of an unidentified homeless man, and was composed when Bryars was working in the Fine Art Department at DMU. It has attracted world wide acclaim and exists in several versions, including one with the added voice of Tom Waits and a choreographed version by William Forsythe. The concert was recorded by students of DMU's Music Production programme, to be released on vinyl by London-based Shrike records.
The Art Schools of the Midlands exhibition focuses on the impressive number of art schools located
in the Midlands and features original photographic images of all 48
sites from across the region, from Hereford to Boston, Chesterfield to
Northampton. Celebrating a key aspect of the civic, industrial and
architectural history of the region since the mid-nineteenth century,
the photographs are also an investigation of the present, recording the
sites of former art schools and their current circumstances.
https://www.instagram.com/theartschoolproject/
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| Gavin Bryars photographed with DMU Music Production students after the concert at St Mary de Castro. |
