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The high seas

June 24, 2011

Welsh composer Huw Watkins created a sensation in 2011 as Composer in Residence in Heimbach. Watkins premiered a tribute to water titled "Speak Seven Seas," which swept the audience to its feet.

https://p.dw.com/p/11iz0
The factory and concert hall in Heimbach
A factory with art nouveau flair draws outstanding young musicians each summerImage: DW

Each summer, classical musicians and fans head to the idyllic German village of Heimbach and to an unlikely concert venue there - a factory built in art nouveau style. Since 1998, it's been the location for the weeklong chamber music festival "Spannungen&quot; (English: &quot;Tensions&quot;).<br /> <br /> Surrounded by old turbines, gleaming measuring instruments and art deco lamps, internationally renowned musicians take the stage. Artistic Director Lars Vogt put together an impressive program once again at the event from June 4 to 12, inviting a special Composer in Residence along the way.<br /> <br /> <b>'Who could say no?'</b><br /> <br /> <span class='placeholder' data-type='IMAGE' data-size='NORMAL' data-id='15182948' ></span>This year, Vogt's choice went to the young Welsh pianist and composer Huw Watkins, whom the festival organizer discovered unexpectedly.<br /> <br /> &quot;I happened to hear him on the piano, playing one of his own compositions in a BBC broadcast of the Proms,&quot; said Vogt, who added, &quot;I was fascinated right away - such a young guy and already such a great flair for composition! It was clear to me that I had to invite him to be our Composer in Residence in Heimbach.&quot;<br /> <br /> It took no time at all for the young musician to agree to Vogt's offer, and he set to work writing a piece commissioned specially for Heimbach.<br /> <br /> &quot;The festival also has a reputation as a first-class chamber music festival among musicians in the UK,&quot; noted Huw Watkins. &quot;Brilliant concert programs and many of the best players of the younger generation. Who could say no to that!&quot;<br /> <br /> <b>In demand</b><br /> <br /> <span class='placeholder' data-type='IMAGE' data-size='NORMAL' data-id='15181762' ></span>Huw Watkins, born in 1976, has already become a sensation at home in the UK, where he has accompanied star violinist Daniel Hope and composed for the Nash Ensemble of London, a renowned chamber music group.<br /> <br /> Watkins' breakthrough came in 1999 when the Nash Ensemble premiered his Sonata for Cello and Eight Instruments. British daily The Times wrote, &quot;At 22, Huw Watkins is already a composer to be reckoned with.&quot;<br /> <br /> Further premiers at the BBC Proms expanded Watkins' fame in Britain, including his Double Concerto for Viola, Cello and Orchestra in 2005 and his Violin Concerto in 2010. But chamber music is at the center of his work, and the composer often writes for musicians with whom he has worked or accompanied on piano. Those pieces include cello sonatas written for his brother, Paul Watkins, and a partita for violinist Alina Ibragimova.<br /> <br /> <b>Sensual, gentle and powerful</b><br /> <br /> <span class='placeholder' data-type='IMAGE' data-size='NORMAL' data-id='15180694' ></span>Unconventional and striking combinations of sounds mark Watkins' chamber music compositions, like in his piece titled Gig for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet or in his Fanfares for soprano saxophone and piano.<br /> <br /> After successfully premiering a trio for violin, horn and piano, Watkins stuck with the form for his commissioned piece at Heimbach. This time, the composer wrote for clarinet, viola and piano - a lovely orchestration, first discovered by Mozart in his famous Kegelstatt Trio.<br /> <br /> &quot;Those instruments go together so wonderfully,&quot; Huw Watkins said. &quot;Especially the clarinet - with all of its colors - can embody so many moods.&quot;<br /> <br /> Once the Welsh musician heard that his next piece would have its debut in a hydroelectric plant, it was clear to him that water would play a big role in the trio.<br /> <br /> &quot;I wanted to find a way to describe the constant flow of water and especially how diverse water can be - how powerful, but also how gentle,&quot; Watkins added.<br /> <br /> He discovered the trio's title - &quot;Speak Seven Seas&quot; - in a verse in &quot;Author's Prologue,&quot; a poem by author and fellow Welshman Dylan Thomas.<br /> <br /> <b>New 'Water Music'</b><br /> <br /> <span class='placeholder' data-type='IMAGE' data-size='NORMAL' data-id='15182938' ></span>Water seems to permeate the piece, at times evoking waves lapping softly at the shore or even the flush of the tide during a storm, the composer said.<br /> <br /> &quot;I love water in all of its forms - whether rippling waves or the tossing sea,&quot; explained Huw Watkins.<br /> <br /> Listeners can join Watkins on a sea journey with an atmospheric, heavy mood that is full of contrasts - from lyrical, almost impressionistic moments to racing cascades of sound. Watkins' waterworks swept the audience in Heimbach to their feet for a standing ovation after the trio's debut on June 10.<br /> <br /> Author: Marita Berg<br /> Editor: Greg Wiser<span lang="EN-GB" style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p>