Werner Herzog, drag, Scorsese, Lynch and gay erotica: Zubin Kanga at Kings Place and London Contemporary Music Festival

The composer and pianist Zubin Kanga has two interesting concerts coming up in the near future. Tomorrow (29 November 2019), Kanga is at Kings Place performing music by Nicole Lizée, Laurence Osborn and Oliver Leith, and then on 11 & 12 December 2019, Kanga will be at the London Contemporary Music Festival performing works by Alwynne Pritchard and Michael Finnissy.

At Kings Place, Kanga will perform Lizée's Scorsese and Lynch Etudes, in which iconic scenes from famous films by the two directors get remixed, with original video, dialogue, sound, and foley to create something entirely new. And there will also be world premieres by Laurence Osborn and Oliver Leith. Full details from the Kings Place website.

At the London Contemporary Music Festival, Kanga is performing as part of longer mixed programmes, and will give premieres of two works both involving video and mixing in elements of drag culture and gay erotica! Alwynne Pritchard's Heart of Glass involves the slightly unlikely mix of Werner Herzog and drag. The piece is inspired by Werner Herzog's 1976 film of the same title and by the German director's Land of Silence and Darkness documentary about a community of deaf and blind people. Pritchard mixes hints to Herzog's works with a tribute to drag culture, specifically to Leigh Bowery's theatricality. Michael Finnissy's Hammerklavier (including video by Adam de la Cour) explores the connection between artistry and sexuality, private and public, with footage of pianist Sviatoslav Richter as a starting point, juxtaposed with twentieth century gay erotica. Further details from the London Contemporary Music Festival website.