Pigeons on the Grass Alas is, amongst other things, a celebration of Gertrude Stein and her way with words. That way involves repetition and a kind of abstract verbal dancing logic that sometimes defies reason and sometimes confirms it. To open and close the concert we will perform extracts from Virgil Thompson and Gertrude Stein’s opera Four Saints In Three Acts — from which comes the line that gives the concert its title. The ‘other things’ include music by composers who, like Gertrude Stein, are very fond of the music of Erik Satie: some lovely piano miniatures by Howard Skempton, and Thomas de Quincy’s eloquent meditation on Kant’s passing, memorably set to music by Gavin Bryars. Satie is not featured in the concert, but his spirit certainly is.

This concert series will visit St Thomas’s Church, Belfast in partnership with Moving on Music. It will then be presented as part of the Sunday’s @ Noonconcert series in The Hugh Lane Gallery.

Four Saints in Three Acts—Thompson (text Stein) 

Tea Time—Paul Hillier (text Stein)

The Durham Strike—Howard Skempton

Story—Cage (text Stein) 

Three Piano Pieces—Howard Skempton

And so ended Kant’s travelling in this world—Gavin Bryars

Four Saints In Three Acts —Thompson (text Stein) 

Chamber Choir Ireland

Paul HillierConductor

Miles Lallemant Piano

Tickets and info here: https://www.chamberchoirireland.com/events/pigeons/