Gavin Bryars Ensemble

about

In 1981 John White and Gavin Bryars put together a combined ensemble for a Regional Arts Contemporary Music Network tour which featured, more or less equally, works by each of both composers, played by a group which included many of the formidable musicians performing John's music for Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the National Theatre.

When Bryars started his own ensemble he worked on the principle that pervaded their early work - that first and foremost the ensemble should comprise musicians with whom he wanted to work rather than players who were there simply because they needed certain instruments. For this reason the ensemble has often had an unusual line-up. In 1986, for example, there were 6 players: violin, clarinet, piano, 2 percussion, bass, with the last four all playing percussion and one of the percussionists also playing recorder.

The current ensemble is much larger, between 5 and 12 people according to repertoire, but all are versatile musicians being essentially chamber music players who are also exceptional individual soloists. The Gavin Bryars Ensemble performs internationally, including appearances in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Czeck Republic, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Norway, Austria, Japan and Australia, as well as giving occasional concerts in UK. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

top songs

albums

Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic

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Gavin Bryars Anniversary Album

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The Sinking of the Titanic (Live)

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Gavin Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic (Recorded Live on 2012 Centenary Tour)

Bryars: Jesus' Blood has Never Failed Me Yet

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[NC GUEST MIX#3] SORE EROS

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The Sinking of the Titanic

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Bryars: The Sinking of the Titanic (Recorded Live on 2012 Centenary Tour)

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Bryars: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

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Bryars: A Man In A Room, Gambling

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Vita Nova

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Selected Recordings

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