Play about Messiaen to be performed at Wimbledon

This Sunday, a play will be performed as part of the Wimbledon International Festival about Oliver Messiaen and his famous work Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps.

The Quatour was written and first performed in a prison camp during the Second World War. Jessica Duchen’s play, A Walk Through the End of Time, explores the genesis of the piece and the relationships between the composer and the other musicians who played in the first performance.

The play stars Henry Goodman and Harriet Walter, and also includes a contribution from Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who was herself interred by the Nazis and played cello in the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz.

Tickets for the first performance at 2.30 have sold out, but due to the huge demand, a second performance has been arranged at 5.15. There will also be a performance on Sunday 18 November, and on the following day, the Nash Ensemble will give a performance of the Quatour.

The Musical Brain – ‘The Sun Moves Always West’

The Musical Brain Trust, a UK charity, is putting on an event entitled ‘The Sun Moves Always West’. Held this weekend in Dewsall Court where a series of talks, discussions, musical illustrations and performances will take place based around the idea of British composers whose lives were touched by the Great War. Presenters and performers include; Stephen Johnson, Professor John Cox, Stuart Jackson, Ben Hancox and Anna Tilbrook.

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