Performance
Saturday 26 June, 12pm – free
Village Green, Bournville, Birmingham B30 2AA
Charlemagne Palestine emerged as a key member of the 1970s New York music scene alongside other composers including Steve Reich, Phillip Glass and Terry Riley. Palestine is best known for compositions of an intense, immersive nature. He has rarely performed in recent years, remaining largely unknown in the UK until invited by Nick Cave to take part in the 7th Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre (London, 1999), sparking a resurgence of interest in his work.
In the 1960s Palestine played carillon bells during his time as a young chorister at St. Thomas’ Church, New York, and he now returns to this unusual instrument with a performance at the Bournville Carillon. Situated above the tower of the school by Bournville Village Green, it is amongst the finest and largest in Britain, consisting of forty-eight cast bronze bells, audible for miles around.
The performance lasts for approximately one hour. It is the UK premiere of a new composition and is co-commissioned with the AV Festival, 2010.