Zeffman conducts academy of St. Martin in the fields with violinist Viktoria Mullova – in the V&A’S newly restored Raphael Court.
Oliver Zeffman presents Live at the V&A commissioned by Marquee TV released by Platoon. Live at the V&A was recorded in the V&A’s newly refurbished Raphael Court, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) and violinist Viktoria Mullova. The visual album will be available on Apple Music and Marquee TV on Friday 4 June 2021.
Few young musicians have responded to the challenges of the pandemic with such creativity and ambition as conductor Oliver Zeffman.
Already established as one of the most distinctive conductors of his generation, Zeffman last year commissioned an opera-film, Eight Songs from Isolation – also available on Apple Music and Marquee TV – from eight leading composers, garnering international acclaim.
His latest project, Live at the V&A looks set to bring an equally fresh, visually-focused approach designed to resonate with a global, digital audience. Though no audience was present, Live at the V&A was recorded as live, giving viewers a sense of the performance rather than a heavily edited recording session.
Museums are by their very nature visually engaging – as architectural spaces in their own right but also because of the art exhibited within those spaces. Committed to finding better ways for the performing arts to engage with digital audiences, and working with Marquee TV and Platoon,
Zeffman’s repertoire is therefore one in dialogue with the setting – the V&A’s Raphael Court, reopening this month following a landmark renovation in 2020.
The gallery is home to the Raphael Cartoons, among the greatest treasures of the Renaissance in the UK and lent to the V&A from the Royal Collection by Her Majesty The Queen. For Live at the V&A, the Raphael Cartoons complement the performances of Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto (with the great Viktoria Mullova) and Honegger’s Pastorale d’été. The album also features two solo Bach works from Mullova and the ASMF Chamber Ensemble performing Arvo Pärt’s Fratres.
Zeffman reunites with the ASMF whom he conducted for Eight Songs from Isolation and in a live concert last October. Their rapport and mutual respect are clear, as it is with violinist Viktoria Mullova who returns to record with the ASMF after 30 years – and together these musicians give performances that reflect the brilliance of their surroundings.
Arthur Honegger’s Pastorale d’été from Live at the V&A will be available on Apple Music from 28 May as part of Classical Live – a video playlist offering a front-row seat to world-class classical music performances.
Oliver Zeffman commented:
“There are few locations more stunning than the V&A’s Raphael Court, surrounded by the Raphael Cartoons, and I’m very excited to be able to showcase this newly-renovated space for the very first time. I’m particularly glad to be partnering with the V&A on this project and pleased also that Platoon and Marquee TV have continued to share in my vision for creating engaging digital performance content. I am also delighted to be working again with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and of course I’m thrilled to be recording with Viktoria Mullova, who has always been one of my musical idols.”
Susannah Simons, Editorial Director at Marquee TV, said:
‘Marquee TV is delighted to be working with Oliver Zeffman and Apple Music by supporting this innovative and visually exciting production in one of London’s most prestigious institutions. Whilst we all look forward to attending live concerts as we come out of the pandemic year, we are also dedicated to demonstrating how filmed performances can offer something new and inspiring, to complement the live experience with all the possibilities of a hybrid future.’
Visual album available on https://platoon.lnk.to/liveatthevanda , Marquee TV and apple music on Friday 4 June audio album released same day on all platforms.
