Brighton Festival Launches The 2010 Programme Led By Guest Artistic Director Brian Eno
Published 19th Apr 2010 by Matt Costello

The highly respected artist, cultural thinker and producer Brian Eno opens the 2010 Brighton Festival as its Guest Artistic Director with a plea to keep minds open and awake and clear of all boundaries and snobberies. The Festival is fast becoming one of the major milestones of the international cultural calendar following the extraordinary success of last year with Anish Kapoor as its inaugural Guest Artistic Director. This year’s significantly expanded programme of 242 performances over 113 events including 30 commissions and premieres takes place all over the city and across all art forms; music, theatre, dance, books and debate, visual arts and outdoor events and promises to deliver an exceptional 23 days in May. (1 – 23 May 2010)

Brian Eno says of the appointment “I am delighted to be part of a festival which has consistently placed itself at the cutting edge of the creative arts in Britain. I’m excited about working in Brighton: I love the city, and I have great respect for the Festival, which has consistently placed itself at the cutting edge of the creative arts in Britain. I would like this festival to provoke and entertain - and hopefully to start some social conversations which will persist long after it has finished. Aside from all that I look forward to a few weeks living in one of Britain's most pleasant cities!”

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Dome and Festival says “World-class direction and a captivating programme of events are what cement Brighton Festival at the heart of the UK and international arts scene. Brian Eno is bringing some extraordinary events to the 2010 Festival, along with the infectious energy and intellectual range of a polymath. Eno in many ways embodies the ideal festival curator with interests and experiences so eclectic and extensive. I’m really looking forward to what promises to be an exceptional Festival.”

Brian Eno Events

Eno has programmed his own works and some of his favourite musicians in the following events:

77 Million Paintings was conceived by Eno as ‘visual music’ and is a constantly evolving sound and image-scape.

Apollo: This is for all Mankind is a live soundtrack of music by Eno performed by Icebreaker Ensemble to the Al Reinert documentary of the Apollo space missions.

This is Pure Scenius! sees seven individuals – Brian Eno, Karl Hyde, Leo Abrahams, Jon Hopkins and The Necks – come together to imagine new forms of music, realised over three consecutive performances altogether forming a 6-hour music experience.

This is Tales of the Afterlives is the UK Premiere of the pioneering multi-media collaboration between author David Eagleman and Brian Eno. A selection of Eagleman’s short, sharp vignettes are presented by a diverse cast of ‘readers’, including the author with visual images from Wordsalad’s Nick Robertson and music by Brian Eno.

Eno takes part in two talks, firstly Reasons for Optimism where he joins forces with other positive thinkers to create some possible futures and then gives a solo lecture on art and some unlikely connections.

This is Acappella! brings together Frank Zappa’s group The Persuasions, the New York sextet Naturally 7 and Seattle based singer Reggie Watts for this special celebration of the unaccompanied voice.

Other musicians on special visits to the Festival include drummer Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, The Books, Anna Calvi and Philip Glass.

Across the rest of the programme there are numerous innovative commissions and site-specific productions from leading artists including the following highlights:

The internationally acclaimed Brighton-based Hofesh Shechter Company will present the World Premiere of their first full-evening work Political Mother. This highly anticipated new piece will be performed by 10 dancers and accompanied by Shechter’s cinematic score played by a live band. Since exploding onto the dance scene in 2007, Shechter has established himself as one of the UK’s most exciting creative forces, in demand worldwide.

Rimini Protokoll who first visited the UK during Brighton Festival 2009, will return to present the UK Premiere of Best Before which pulls the multi-player video game out of the virtual realm and plugs it into an intimate theatre setting in where a simulated city evolves as each of 200 spectators adds their personal touch, game controller in hand.

dreamthinkspeak are Associate Artists of Brighton Dome and Festival whose work interweaves performance with film and installations to create extraordinary journeys. They will now present the World Premiere of their Before I Sleep commissioned by Brighton Festival; a site-responsive, promenade installation inspired by The Cherry Orchard, marking the 150th anniversary of Anton Chekhov’s birth.

Anouar Brahem the Tunisian oud master, has revolutionised the role of this ancient Arabic lute. Since joining ECM – Europe's iconic jazz label –, Brahem has explored extraordinarily varied and nuanced territory: from traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern idioms to the rich repertory of jazz and has become one of their best-selling artists of all time. He is not often in the UK and doesn't play London, so this is a really rare gig.

US drum legend Roy Haynes has been making jazz history since 1944. In that time he has worked with pretty much anyone who's ever been anyone. For his Brighton gig he heads up The Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band.

The Opera Group present the World Premiere of The Lion’s Face on the subject of dementia. Composer Elena Langer and poet/librettist Glyn Maxwell are working in partnership with Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London and The Wellcome Trust in order to explore and use this art form to explore the sufferer’s inner world.

Howard Goodall is writing a new 20-minute orchestral piece based on the Oscar Wilde story, The Selfish Giant which will premiere on the opening weekend of the Festival (1 May) and be conducted by the composer.

Monteverdi Choir / Sir John Eliott Gardiner perform Bach’s iconic and crowning choral achievement, the Mass in B Minor.

Daniel Veronese’s company El Periférico de Objetos present with their first UK an exclusive premiere performance of Uncle Vanya and his contemporary prelude to this, Women Dreamt Horses, marking the Chekhov anniversary with two minimally staged and emotionally intense presentations.

No Fit State Britain’s leading contemporary circus company and creators of the groundbreaking show Tabu, take up residence for a week on Brighton’s ‘Level’ and invite you to join in their part playground, part bandstand,
live showcase Park Life which will feature NoFit State’s own circus artists alongside members of the community.

Books and Debate Programme will feature a number of fascinating figures including Martin Amis, Jacqueline Wilson, David Mitchell, Dan Cruickshank, Natasha Walter, Nick Kent and Antony Beever, as well as debates on topical subjects such as climate change, what makes good writing and compassion.

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