SOUNDS OF NOW: ÉLIANE RADIGUE FOR HARP, VIOLIN & DOUBLE BASS

Rhodri Davies, Angharad Davies & Dominic Lash

Upper Chapel, Sheffield
Saturday 18 October 2025, 8.00pm

Tickets:
£17
£10 UC, PIP & DLA
£5 Students & Under 35s

Book Tickets
Home› What's on› SOUNDS OF NOW: ÉLIANE RADIGUE FOR HARP, VIOLIN & DOUBLE BASS

RADIGUE
Occam XXI (16’)
Occam River XVIII (15’)
Occam XVII (13’)
Occam River XVII (16’)
Occam (28’)
Occam River XV (15’)
Occam Delta XIV (17’)

In this special concert, Welsh harpist and improvisor Rhodri Davies, together with Angharad Davies (violin) and Dominic Lash (double bass), present a selection of works composed for them by Radigue. Ranging from solos to ensemble pieces, this is a rare opportunity to explore the singular aesthetic of one of the 21st century’s most important composers, performed by some of the musicians with whom she has most closely collaborated. Through extended instrumental techniques (the harp is played using two violin bows) and a close attention to timbre, Radigue conjures luminescent, intricately layered and richly textural soundscapes that slowly evolve.  

Save 20% when you book for 10 or more Music in the Round concerts in one transaction. 
Save 10% when you book for 5 or more Music in the Round concerts in one transaction. Find out more. 

 

Part of: OCCAM OCEAN: THE MUSIC OF ÉLIANE RADIGUE 

“Radigue writes awesomely gradual music that is always on the move… It is music that flowers in some enchanted hinterland where sounds are sparse and mercurial, spiritual and grounded, narrative and abstract… she is always on the hunt for sound within sound – a realm of partials, harmonics, and subharmonics… the intangible cloud that makes up that note’s aura.”
Kate Molleson 

The French composer Éliane Radigue, now 93 years old, has dedicated the last quarter of a century to crafting her extraordinary, subtle and luminescent compositions for acoustic instruments. Each titled ‘Occam’ (after ‘Occam’s razor’, the idea that the simplest solution is often the best), these warm and generous works explore the essence of an instrument’s sound in gradually unfolding, richly present textures.  

For ‘Occam Ocean’, Music in the Round has curated a series of special events bringing together some of Radigue’s closest collaborators for two days of music and talks, offering a rare, immersive experience of this composer’s singular sound world. 

Presented in partnership with The University of Sheffield.  

 

About the Artists

Rhodri Davies

Rhodri Davies is a harp player working within the field of free improvisation. He was one of the most prominent members of the London reductionist school of improvised music that was active in the late 1990s and early 2000s and which has been described as being “extremely influential over the last decade”.

Davies is also active in the field of contemporary composition where he has commissioned new works for the harp from leading avant-garde composers. He has also worked as an orchestral player and as a session musician for Charlotte Church and Cinematic Orchestra amongst others. He has appeared on over 60 commercially available recordings.

He has created a number of installations and performances which involve destroying or disassembling the harp. In 2010 he was longlisted for the Northern Arts Prize and in 2012 he received the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award.

Angharad Davies

Angharad Davies is a Welsh violinist based in London working with free-improvisation, compositions and performance.

Her approach to sound involves attentive listening and exploring beyond the sonic confines of her instrument, her classical training and performance expectation. Find out more.