Back in early May, our Assistant Director of Music Anthony Gray took to the organ to play the world premiere of Kambaramayanam-34 at Bradford Cathedral. Written by Leeds-based composer Dr Niki Zohdi, the piece is now available to hear on our Soundcloud page.
Anthony Gray, Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral, says:
“It was a delight to be able to play this new work as part of my recital for this term’s season of concerts.
“Niki and I have been friends and colleagues since being choristers together at Blackburn Cathedral, and I am delighted he was able to write this piece for me. It is great to be able to feature new music by living composers in our recital series, alongside the regular themed programmes from some of the great organ composers of the past.
“It was also a thoroughly engaging process in learning Niki’s piece, with a different form of notation (notated spatially by chronological time, rather than conventional rhythms with a tempo marking) and we had great fun collaborating, as we continue to with a multitude of other creative projects.”
Dr Niki Zohdi says:
“It was a great experience to work with such a good friend and fantastic organist in Anthony on my new piece Kambaramayanam-34 last month. The piece came alive on the Bradford Cathedral organ with its wide range of colours and registrations.
“It was truly a privilege to share my music with such an openminded audience, and it was great to see the audience numbers so high!”
The piece was recorded on Wednesday 8th May 2024 by Dr Stewart Smith and uploaded here with permission. You can find out more about the composer – and the composition – in our earlier interview.