Saturday 3 May 2025 - St Mary de Castro church, Leicester

Programme
1,2,1-2-3-4 (1972)

The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge (1972)
Catalogue (1965)

16 Continuous Fragments for solo guitar (1965)

Mr Sunshine (1968)

– Interval –

Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971)

Musicians

Gavin Bryars, - bass, piano, guitars

Dave Smith - piano

Yuri Bryars - bass, organ, guitars

Morgan Goff - viola

Audrey Riley - Cello

James Woodrow - guitars

The music

Gavin Bryars taught in the art department at Leicester in the 1970s and 1980s, and this concert will be the first he has given in the city in over 30 years. The programme includes compositions from the 1960s and 70s – including three pieces that Gavin wrote for Derek Bailey, one of which was recently discovered in Bailey’s archive at Huddersfield University.– Gavin has not seen some of this music for 60/ years… It will conclude with a performance of Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, which was first transcribed from the original recording in the sound studio in the nearby Fine Art building.

The Art School Project

 This one-off concert forms part of the opening of John Beck and Matthew Cornford’s exhibition ‘The Art Schools of the Midlands’ at the Leicester Gallery.  This exhibition focuses on the impressive number of art schools located in the Midlands and features original photographic images of all 48 sites from across the region, from Hereford to Boston, Chesterfield to Northampton. Celebrating a key aspect of the civic, industrial and architectural history of the region since the mid-nineteenth century, the photographs are also an investigation of the present, recording the sites of former art schools and their current circumstances

Shrike Records

The concert is being promoted by Shrike Records London, in association with De Montfort University.  Students from the Music Technology department of the university will be assisting with technical aspects of the performance and recording the concert.

Shrike Records is an independent, not-for-profit label focusing on improvised and experimental music.  Its releases can be accessed via Bandcamp at https://shrikerecords.bandcamp.com/music

Shrike Records and the Art School Project would like to thank the staff and students of De Montfort University and the staff of St Mary de Castro church for their assistance in staging and recording this concert.