GBSR Duo [George Barton (b.1988) and Siwan Rhys (b.1986)] bring together the merciless, cruel sonic world of Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) with the addictive tones of British composer Oliver Leith (b.1990): “Deadpan, subversive, quietly anarchic, disarmingly heart-sore and sweet-sour music.” (Kate Molleson). The music of Ustvolskaya is tough and uncompromising. Famously reclusive, she committed her life to her compositions, of which only 25 survive. Her output is exemplified by Dies Irae (1973): brutal, violent and unforgettable. Written for eight double basses, piano and a large wooden box built to resemble a coffin, she called it ‘music that should sound dead behind the eyes’. By contrast, Oliver Leith’s good day good day bad day bad day (for piano, keyboards and percussion), evokes a conciliatory world where the spectre of anxiety and codependency always lurks unconfronted. Its picture of the musical “everyday” of George and Siwan’s living room is a tender, intimate and ambiguous elongation of domesticity into the public realm. Both pieces speak to our human capacity to engage in acts of free will, even as we may seem trapped by societal structures in our current moment of crisis.
