Tales & Trails of Britain: Kemal Yusuf, Robert Lefever and Peter Maxwell Davies

Kemal Yusuf

Kemal Yusuf is a contemporary composer who enjoys exploring unusual and unexpected collaborations. On 29 July 2023 at the Cockpit Theatre, Kemal will be joined by tenor Magnus Walker and The Moonrakers (multi-instrumentalist duo Jon Bennett and Becki Luff ) for a programme which celebrates unexpected connections. Tails and Trails of Britain features music by Kemal, Robert Lefever, Peter Maxwell Davies and George Butterworth, along with folk-music from the Moonrakers.

The music's connections are all linked to problematic relationships with music college, Kemal's unusual harmonic language and broad interests were rejected by the composition faculty and he was subsequently failed, but he was supported by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies who encouraged Kemal to return and finish the course. Maxwell Davies himself had a problematic relationship at music college, his musical language too innovative for a narrow-minded composition professor, for whom anything later than Delius was suspect. 

And the programme will include the premiere of a new work by Dr Robert Lefever, a distinguished addiction specialist who was rejected while studying music at the University of Cambridge, so instead pursued a career in medicine with a speciality in addiction; only now returning to music in his 80s.

Full details from the Cockpit website.