Matthew Barley's 51 Strings

In this specially commissioned project, highly inventive cellist Matthew Barley brings together a unique quartet of stringed instruments to create new and beautiful soundworlds inspired by dances and lullabies from around the world, as well as new compositions and improvisations. This will be richly melodic and rhythmic music, played by dazzlingly accompplished virtuosos.

Matthew Barley Cello, UK
Hanna Rynnänen Kantele, Finland
Dawda Jobarteh  Kora, Gambia
Adriano Adewale Berimbau & percussion, Brazil

Matthew writes:

“The Amsterdam Cello Biennale contacted me and asked for a collaborative project based around the cello and I was thinking back over my favourite collabs over the years. The one that stood out was with Amjad Ali Khan on sarod – partly because I loved the combination of bowed and plucked strings to much. So I thought of a quartet with three other stringed instruments, all plucked. The African kora and Finnish Kantele both have 21 strings and can provide gorgeous textural as well as harmonic and melodic material. The Brazilian berimbau (originally an Angolan musical bow) will also provide another sound world of strings, as well as distinctive Brazilian grooves. In addition to this, Dawda, the kora player, is also a percussionist which will further unlock the rhythmic possibilities of the quartet.

‘Designed Improvisations’ is a new term for what is essentially an old idea. As a quartet of committed and experienced improvisers, we will create templates for improvisations that have structure and a small amount of content baked in – so repeat iterations will be musical cousins, but also come out differently each time. The advantage of this is that in creating a programme of music that does not stop for applause after each song, we can make sure that transitions work in terms of harmonic progression and pacing/atmosphere each time, while keeping the freshness and high-wire excitement of improvisations.

In this specially commissioned project, highly inventive cellist Matthew Barley brings together a unique quartet of stringed instruments to create new and beautiful soundworlds inspired by dances and lullabies from around the world, as well as new compositions and improvisations. This will be richly melodic and rhythmic music, played by dazzlingly accompplished virtuosos.

Matthew Barley Cello, UK
Hanna Rynnänen Kantele, Finland
Dawda Jobarteh  Kora, Gambia
Adriano Adewale Berimbau & percussion, Brazil

Matthew writes:

“The Amsterdam Cello Biennale contacted me and asked for a collaborative project based around the cello and I was thinking back over my favourite collabs over the years. The one that stood out was with Amjad Ali Khan on sarod – partly because I loved the combination of bowed and plucked strings to much. So I thought of a quartet with three other stringed instruments, all plucked. The African kora and Finnish Kantele both have 21 strings and can provide gorgeous textural as well as harmonic and melodic material. The Brazilian berimbau (originally an Angolan musical bow) will also provide another sound world of strings, as well as distinctive Brazilian grooves. In addition to this, Dawda, the kora player, is also a percussionist which will further unlock the rhythmic possibilities of the quartet.

‘Designed Improvisations’ is a new term for what is essentially an old idea. As a quartet of committed and experienced improvisers, we will create templates for improvisations that have structure and a small amount of content baked in – so repeat iterations will be musical cousins, but also come out differently each time. The advantage of this is that in creating a programme of music that does not stop for applause after each song, we can make sure that transitions work in terms of harmonic progression and pacing/atmosphere each time, while keeping the freshness and high-wire excitement of improvisations.