With Spitalfields Music Festival 2017 just around the corner we’ve been catching up with the artists and ensembles involved to find out about what to expect at their performances and what inspires them to create.
Here’s soprano Héloïse Werner talking about her involvement in the festival…
How have you found working with André as a part of this festival?
Really inspiring!
What’s your involvement in the festival?
I’m involved in two events: Schumann Street and House of Monteverdi. For Schumann Street, I’m working with harpist Anne Denholm on reinterpreting the 8th song from Schumann’s Dichterliebe and we’ll be performing what we come up with in the beautiful Huguenot Houses around Spitalfields on 9th & 10th December. For House of Monteverdi, I’ll be performing with my contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment: we are premiering a beautiful new song cycle by Josephine Stephenson and a new piece devised by us, inspired by Valentini’s work (a contemporary of Monteverdi).
What can audiences expect from your performances in three words?
Fun, challenging and (hopefully) moving.
How do you define the music you create?
I’m very interested in music as drama and music for the stage, experimenting with different genres and techniques. My ultimate goal is to make audiences think and also move them in a very direct way.
Other than the events you’re involved in which Spitalfields Music Festival event are you looking forward to the most?
The whole festival line-up looks fantastic, and if I could I’d go and see everything. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be LCO’s performance on Friday 8 December – I’m particularly looking forward to the premiere of Anna Thorvaldsottir’s In The Light Of Air.
Best gig you’ve ever seen?
Such a hard question, I’ve seen so many great ones – but watching Teresa Cristina and her band Grupo Semente perform in a bar in Rio a few years ago was definitely a highlight!
Héloïse Werner will perform two world premieres with The Hermes Experiment at House of Monteverdi on Saturday 2 December, 5pm and at Schumann Street on Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 December, 5 & 7.30pm. Book Now!