Thomas Adès discusses his music with violinist Peter Herresthal, conductor Andrew Manze and music journalist Tom Service.

Part Two
Composed in 2005, Thomas Adès's violin concerto 'Concentric Paths' has rapidly become a favourite with both audiences and performers. One of the eminent violinists who have championed the work is Peter Herresthal, who has given its Austrian, Norwegian, Spanish and Australian premières, the latter conducted by Thomas Adès himself.

Herresthal has previously released three discs for BIS, most recently violin concertos by Per Nørgård on a disc which in 2013 was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award. Since his first encounter with Thomas Adès, the collaboration between the two has continued, resulting in the composer's new cadenza for György Ligeti's violin concerto. In April 2013, Peter Herresthal also recorded 'Concentric Paths' for BIS, supported by his compatriots in the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Kringkastingsorkestret) under Andrew Manze, himself an acclaimed violinist as well as conductor.

In the aftermath of the recording, Adès, Herresthal and Manze met up with music journalist Tom Service in a London park for an informal talk about the concerto and Thomas Adès music -- from the complementary viewpoints of performer and composer. Filmed by the photographer Sussie Ahlburg, the second part of their discussion can now be watched in this video clip, produced by BIS Records.

'It’s got a life of its own’
Composer, soloist and conductor have all three performed Concentric Paths in different constellations: Adès himself conducted the first recording, with violinist Anthony Marwood, Herresthal has performed it with other conductors – including Adès – and Manze has conducted it with different orchestras than the one appearing on the present recording. With this in mind, Tom Service asks them about about this network of relationships. Andrew Manze talks of how he listened to Adès’ own recording of it, but soon found that the work took on a life of its own as he studied the score himself. Adès volunteers the opinion that a composer may well miss certain aspects of his own work when conducting it – aspects which another conductor can bring to light. And all three agree that as every orchestra sounds different, each performance brings out different effects.

The musical excerpts appearing in the clip do so with permission from Faber Music.

'Concentric Paths' is released as a digital album, BIS-8003, coupled with Thomas Adès's Three Studies from Couperin, with the same orchestra and conductor. The album is available from eClassical.com and leading downloading and streaming providers.

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