This Nuc started life as a conversation between Anna Meredith and Richard Jones (LQ viola) after realising that after a decade of frequently working together, they had almost an album’s worth of music.
So an idea developed in which they would not only make the first studio recordings of Anna’s original music for string quartet, but that Richard would create new arrangements of existing tracks by Anna.
Anna and Richard took similar paths into the music world. As well as sharing a lot of mutual friends from their studies at the University of York and the Royal College of Music, they also share an attitude towards creating music which pushes / defies boundaries whilst also speaking very directly to the listener.
Anna and Richard are both musicians who often find themselves between pop and classical worlds, with Richard having worked on arrangements and recordings for artists including Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)/Louise Vernuille, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Rose Elinor Dougall (The Pipettes)/Graham Coxon (Blur), Jessie Ware and many more. Anna’s critically acclaimed albums with her band have earned a Mercury Prize nomination and a dedicated live following around the world.
And so Nuc gave Anna and Richard an opportunity to bring these worlds together. They brought in co-producer Leo Abrahams who worked on Ligeti Quartet’s 2020 album Songbooks Vol. 1 (recently named by Songlines Magazine as one of the ‘essential 10 classical crossovers’ alongside artists including Kronos Quartet and Ravi Shankar). Leo also brings a wealth of experience across musical boundaries including collaborations with Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon.
The result is a joyful, occasionally furious, never too serious, energetic/restful collection of tracks which dazzle with Anna’s signature compulsive harmonies, rhythmic shifts of gear and sparkling textures.
In addition to strings, Nuc features the sounds of synths, drum machines, birdsong, an MRI scanner, brass and hums, proving the durability of the string quartet in the 21st century.
Free tickets for Under-25s
As a member of the Cavatina Trust ticket scheme, which enables young people to enjoy live chamber music, we are able to offer a limited number of free tickets to eight- to 25-year-olds for this concert. To book these tickets, contact the box office.
