Purcell's Twist

Throughout the Spring and Summer of 2018, Sloop Group were involved in a project called Purcell's Twist- an exciting oppourtunity to compose new music, learn a new instrument and play with internationally renowned musicians. 

In collaboration with the National Centre for Early Music this project provided the oppourtunity for the Sloop Group to compose and perform thier own original music- something we always say yes to! For more information about the proect as a whole, please follow the link to the NCEM's website and read their article, which includes a short video detailing the project- http://www.ncem.co.uk/purcell. For the Sloop Group, this project was not only a chance to learn to play the recorder and explore baroque music- it was also a chance to use their compositional experience and talents to utilise a new sound world. When composing new music, Sloop Group tends to use a similar pallete of instruments every time- keyboards, drums, electric guitars, cello, vocals and tuned percussion. This is not necessarily a concious decision every time, as it is sometimes dictated simply by what instruments are available for the young people to play. However, as part of this project the group has had access to a whole new colour of sound- recorders. This has has a big influence on the overall texture and sound world of the group's composition. We began the project by listening to Purcell's Rondeau, and over the course of the creative process it became clear that this also had a very big influence on the sound of the group's composition, through the rhythms used and how the young people have gained a new way of expressing their playing. Please watched the linked video on vimeo, which captures rehearsals of one part of Sloop Group's original composition- Rondo's Revenge. The video shows the group rehearsing a section of the peice called 'Regal Power', and shows how they incorporate the sound and style of baroque music into their own established sound world.