Summary

Britten Sinfonia is a leading exponent of the music of the young British composer Tarik O’Regan, who travels deep into the highly textured, intensely rhythmic sound world of Algerian popular music with his new piece Chaabi. Named after a specific type of Algerian music, Chaabi is ‘a meditation on the music of a bygone era’ with its roots in the multi-cultural Casbah of Algiers in the first half of the 20th century.

O’Regan’s work blends an eclectic mix of influences with verve and virtuosity; Renaissance vocal works, North African music, classic British rock, jazz and minimalism converge to make his a unique voice among contemporary composers.

Britten Sinfonia displays its hallmark versatility with the sharply contrasting great Mass in C minor by Mozart, with a latent theatricality that makes it a riveting experience in the concert hall and a superb vehicle for the masterful Brighton Festival Chorus.