The Diasporic Quartets

Explore the music, ideas and experiences of British-based classical composers from the African diaspora, as composer and filmmaker Des Oliver showcases the music of composers who featured in his landmark online series Identity and the Anxiety of Influence.

Moving through time and place, works for string quartet express each composer’s relationship with heritage and tradition. Inspired by Beethoven’s Op 18 No 2, Tunde Jegede’s second quartet is an authentic synthesis of West African and classical musical traditions. French Caribbean music combined with French classical music and pop suffuse Dominique Le Gendre’s sound-world in Le Génie Humain. Drawing on his Russian and Eritrean heritage, former Jerwood+ composer Daniel Kidane brings elements of grime and urban music to his work, while a newly commissioned work by Philip Herbert, In Contemplation, finds inspiration in African-American spirituals and English pastoral music.

Completing the concert is Des Oliver’s musical response to the underlying themes of influence, heritage, identity and representation in his new work The Diasporic Quartets. Consisting of four portrait movements, the piece builds on his documentary series, taking inspiration from the music of each composer and their interactions during filming, interspersed with excerpts from the documentary that inspired this concert.

Identity and the Anxiety of Influence was commissioned by Sound and Music for the British Music Collection.