Mahan Esfahani
with live electronics

St Mary's Parish Church, Haddington

Tue 12 Sept 3pm

Duration: 65 mins approx

Overture to Orpheus
honig.meer.licht (honey.sea.light)
Rain Dreaming
Programme commun, ‘Musique?’

Harpsichord with electronics

c17-mahan-esfahani-with-live-electronics-photo-credit-kaja-smith

Photo credit: Kaja Smith

Mahan Esfahani is an intrepid explorer of his instrument’s outer limits with a peerless devotion to extending the harpsichord’s repertoire in our own time.

This stunningly atmospheric programme, in which audience members may move around the church, takes us from Dutch composer Andriessen’s seminal work for harpsichord alone through the young German composer Oscar Jockel’s recent honig.meer.licht to the liquid rippling of Takemitsu’s beautiful Rain Dreaming.

Luc Ferrari’s ‘Programme commun, ‘Musique socialiste?’ (1972) for harpsichord and tape, is an extravaganza that seeks the equality of historic harpsichord and modern electronics. It poses the question: can music be ‘socialist’?

St. Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington

The Collegiate Church of St Mary the Virgin is one of the great ecclesiastical buildings of mediaeval Scotland, founded in 1380 and known for centuries as "The Lamp of Lothian".

It was severely damaged in the 16th Century during Henry VIII's 'Rough Wooing' of Scotland, and after the Reformation only the nave was used as a parish church, with the choir and tower remaining roofless.

It was finally restored to its former glory in the 1970s, and is Scotland's longest church as well as one of its most beautiful, with a wonderfully warm, resonant acoustic.

St. Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington

Address

St. Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington
EH41 4BZ

Getting there by bus

Several Edinburgh to Haddington routes to the Market Street bus stop. All drop off in the High St, approx. 5-8 mins walk from the church.

Getting there by train

Edinburgh to North Berwick service every hour. Nearest station is Drem. Taxi info on station notice board.

Getting there by car

Haddington is 20 miles East of Edinburgh along the A1 dual carriageway. Travelling East take the second exit to Haddington – St Mary’s is signposted from the main road. Look to the South, and you will see the old church tower in the distance.

Accessibility

Parking:

There is free on-street parking 100m from the church, on the road, and throughout the town.

Only disabled parking is allowed in the church grounds. There are 3 disabled spaces for blue badge holders. Please email [email protected] if you require one of these spaces. First come, first served.

UPDATE: There are no blue badge spaces left for 14/09 Royal Northern Sinfonia or 18/09 BBC SSO concerts.

Terrain:

Tarmac and gravel

Induction Loop:
Yes

Toilets:
Good male/female provision plus adapted toilet for disabled.

Wheelchair Access:

Access is via the North Side (side) door, available 30 minutes before concert. Press bell for assistance. Level access into venue.

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