The world premiere of Non Fiction: Piano Concerto In Four Movements by pianist, composer, and vocalist Hania Rani will take place on November 25 and 26 at the Barbican in London. The Manchester Collective will perform under the baton of Hugh Tiepp-Brunt, with Rani playing the solo piano part, Jack Wyllie playing the solo saxophone part and Valentina Magaletti at the drums.
Non Fiction was composed partially in response to the discovery in 2020 of the compositions of a young music prodigy, Josima Feldschuh, written during the horrors of World War II in the Warsaw Ghetto. Rani investigates the constant coexistence of harmony and disorder, creating a sonic metaphor for the survival of the human spirit when faced by violence.
The concert also features the world premiere of Rani's Shining for large ensemble. The work is inspired by the novel "A Shining" by Jon Fosse. It deals with a man getting lost in a forest during the night. Rani says: "It is written in the style of a stream of consciousness, in the first person, distributed over 42 pages, without any pause or stop. It's breathless, fleshly, always moving ahead and extremely musical."
For more information, see the website of Barbican.
If you can't wait, the premiere recording of the concerto is out now - listen below!
