To end the week, something very special: a complete filmed performance, never before broadcast, of Alchymia by Thomas Adès. Performed by clarinettist Mark Simpson and the Quatuor Diotima - the same ensemble who gave the premiere at Kings Place in 2021 - this quintet marks Adès most substantial chamber work since 2010 and his Four Quarters for String Quartet. The video – and an audio recording of the work – are both released by Orchid Classics. 

Watch the complete film of Thomas Adès Alchymia below:

Alchymia - the latin word for alchemy - is comprised of four movements each exploring concepts of metamorphosis from various 16th/17th century references. The first, 'A Sea-Change (…those are pearls…)', refers to Shakespeare's The Tempest (and equally reminiscent of Adès's operatic setting) and the latter three, 'The Woods So Wild', 'Lachrymae', and 'Divisions on a Lute-song', take inspiration from the works of William Byrd and John Dowland. Alchymia differs from what one would normally expect from a Clarinet Quintet as instead of its more conventional clarinet counterpart, Adès has employed a basset clarinet which has an extended lower range - a very versatile instrument!

Alchymia is available as a digital release - you can listen to the work via Apple Music, below: