Following up on our report about Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on a piece entitled Water, we finally bring news of when you can hear the work. Live and in-person.
A composition for strings, piano and a South Asian tambura-like instrument, Water will premiere in Dublin on October 2 as part of ACO’s European Tour, played alongside Haydn’s Symphony No. 83 in G minor “La poule,” Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major, K. 595 and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70.
The Dublin date will be followed by a performance in London and Birmingham in the U.K. then back to Melbourne, Australia.
Alas, there are no other dates scheduled thus far--America or abroad.
Greenwood reflected on working with the ACO in a recent press release: “I loved every second of being around these players. They were enthusiastic, patient, energetic and enormously musical,” he wrote.
“Just overhearing them rehearse a Shostakovich string quartet really floored me: nothing beats being in a small room with a bunch of players like this. And they really do go surfing afterwards,” he continued on the Aussie’s style.
“The whole experience was very inspiring."
ACO artistic director Richard Tognetti had nothing but accolades for Greenwood and his work: "I believe he’s the first celebrated pop musician who has been able to straddle the world of classical music.”
Tognetti continued, reflecting on the idea of someone from pop culture collaborating in the classical realm. “In terms of the cross-fertilisation of ideas, it’s a great time to be a musician.” He added, “[Greenwood] obviously loves music so much."
On how the collaboration came to be, Tognetti says Greenwood's publisher was the one who made it happen, asking the orchestra if it would be possible.
You can catch a glimpse of Tognetti and his POV on conducting Beethoven--as well as this very collaboration with Greenwood--at a little under the two-minute mark.
