
12 ENSEMBLE
★★★★★
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE 2020
"Spunk, originality and class"
THE STRAD
Live performance is always at the heart of what the 12 Ensemble do. And we can’t wait to get back to thrilling audiences in 2021 and beyond...
In the face of adversity, 2020 has seen the 12 Ensemble cement their reputation as a leading light in the UK classical music scene. From performing one of a select-few live televised concerts at the BBC Proms, to the outstanding critical reception for their album Death & the Maiden and being shortlisted for a prestigious RPS Award, the ensemble have thrilled audiences and listeners with their powerful and innovative music making.
The 12 Ensemble’s unique approach to rehearsing, performing & programming sets them apart as a revolutionary classical ensemble for the 21st century. In demand internationally, past engagements have seen them perform at the Barbican, Berlin Philharmonie and Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, plus tours in the USA and Asia. This year, their latest album has been listened to over 3 million times online across the globe, garnering widespread critical praise. After a year of cancelled performances, the ensemble are now looking forward to re-connecting with their audiences through a brand-new collection of programmes for 2021 and beyond.
Characteristically bold and innovative, these exciting new programmes fearlessly span centuries of great music, bringing together core-classical masterpieces with contemporary greats and genre-bending new works commissioned by the ensemble...
2021 PROGRAMMES

WAR + PEACE
LOCKE The Tempest
MACMILLAN Kiss on Wood
SHOSTAKOVICH Chamber Symphony
TAVENER Mother of God, here I stand
Out of the darkness...
Shostakovich’s impassioned cry against politics and personal tragedy shares the stage with a tempestuous Baroque offering and two unique voices in contemporary music, including MacMillan’s divine meditation for solo cello and strings.

THE
WANDERER
PÅRT Fratres
PROKOFIEV Visions Fugitives
VASKS Viatore
OLIVER LEITH Honey Siren (2019 commission)
SIGUR RÓS Fljótavík
Contemporary sounds & stories
A spiritual & futuristic journey through the 20th and 21st centuries, with Vasks’ seminal ‘Viatore’ at the heart of the programme (a work dedicated to Arvo Pärt) as well as a new commission from the Royal Opera House composer-in-residence Oliver Leith.

REBEL REBEL
BEETHOVEN 'Serioso' String Quartet
CAROLINE SHAW Entr'acte
JANÁČEK Kreutzer Sonata
The Beethoven effect
The ‘Serioso’ quartet was an experiment; music written by a rebel pushing the boundaries of possibility. This spirit of innovation is celebrated in a programme which includes a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw alongside a new arrangement of Janáček’s turbulent ‘Kreutzer Sonata’.

DEATH
&
THE
MAIDEN
WEBERN Langsamer Satz
HARTMANN Concerto Funebre
SCHUBERT Death and the Maiden
Romance isn't dead...
Schubert’s late masterpiece provides the centrepiece for a searing programme combining the best of Romanticism through the ages.
For bookings please contact max@the12ensemble.com