Ian Wilson premieres and performances

Ian Wilson has a number of premieres and performances of his works taking place over the coming weeks.

His latest acoustic theatre work, The End of Desire, will receive its Irish premiere at the Drogheda Arts Festival on 1 May. The work for saxophonist Ties Mellema, along with director Jos van Kan and video artist Michiel Voet, is based on a key event in Mellema’s life when he lost the ability to play saxophone with his right hand following an accident. With patience and perseverance, and against all the odds, he regained his abilities. From the show’s press release:

‘The show presents a wordless plea for bold experimentation and real innovation in the form of a mythological story about the fate of the God of Music. Ian Wilson exploits a vast range of colours and textures using Mellema’s saxophones, live electronics and a specially-composed soundtrack. Against an inventive backdrop by Michiel Voet and interacting with video projections, Mellema plays a strong, imaginative and very human divinity.’

On the same night in Cork, Wilson’s new choral work, Slouching towards Bethlehem, will be given its world premiere at the Cork International Choral Festival by Chamber Choir Ireland under Paul Hillier. A setting of two of WB Yeats’ ‘Apocalyptic’ poems, the work was commissioned by the festival with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Ian Wilson also has a number of other performances preceding these two premieres. In Basel, Switzerland, his Irish language song cycle for soprano and guitar with settings of poems by Louis de Paor, Fuil is uisce, will be given its Swiss premiere by Lena Kiepenheuer and Marco Bartoli.

Finally, a new version of his chamber work Spilliaert’s Beach for mandolin and accordion will be toured around Ireland by duo Avi Avital and Ksenija Sidorova. The Music Network tour takes place between 22 and 27 April.

Further information from Ian Wilson's composer page and web site.