Young musicians have used An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Bronzino as inspiration for their own compositions. Picture © National Gallery
Young musicians from the UK are to have their work performed in front of a National Gallery masterpiece that inspired them to write their own compositions.
Composing Through Art is a collaboration between the National Gallery and the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO).
As part of the project, 80 young composers in their late teens and early twenties, were set the task of writing a composition inspired by Bronzino’s visceral and intriguing painting, An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (1540-50).
Six scores made the final selection. The composers are Daniel Kidane (Royal College of Music), Nathaniel David Seaman (University of Hull), Benjamin Frank Vaughn (Royal College of Music and Drama), Julian Bradley (Bristol University), Oliver Selwood (Kingston University), Rachel Lockwood (Royal Northern College of Music).
This evening (May 6 2009), there will be a performance of their works by the LCO at the beautiful baroque concert venue, St John’s, Smith Square.
Then, the LCO will perform a concert in front of Bronzino’s iconic Renaissance work next month (7pm, Room 8, National Gallery, June 5 2009).
In preparation for their pieces, the composers had the opportunity to work with LCO resident composers Graham Fitkin, George Fenton (composer for Planet Earth and Blue Planet) and musician David Gordon.
They attended a symposium at the National Gallery in November and then developed compositions based upon the painting’s themes and figures, shapes, colours, rhythms and forms.
Head of Education at the National Gallery, Colin Wiggins said, "It is always exciting to break down barriers between different artistic disciplines. We are hopeful that the collection has inspired the music to begin where the painting ends."
