Christian Mason's Octandre Ensemble receives high praise for the world premiere of Frank Denyer's 'The Fish that became the Sun'

On Saturday, 23 November, at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, The Octandre Ensemble, co-directed by Christian Mason and Jon Hargreaves, performed Frank Denyer's epic piece ‘The Fish that became the Sun (Songs of the Dispossessed)’, giving the work its world premiere 23 years after its composition.

The concert was a huge success and The Octandre Ensemble received high praise from The Times and The Telegraph:

I sense the piece is part elegy, part protest at ecological destruction and political cynicism. Either way, I will be searching out the recording (Another Timbre) made by these excellent performers — the Octandre Ensemble directed by Christian Mason and Jon Hargreaves.

The Times -  November 2019

For an entrancing hour we heard wistful melodies, ceremonial chants, thundering percussive patterns, and at one point nursery rhymes from two children up in the gallery, all performed with devoted care by the Octandre Ensemble and numerous guest musicians. It was endlessly inventive, and touching in its naivety.

The Telegraph -  November 2019

Earlier this year, The Octandre Ensemble recorded the work on the Another Timbre label and the disc has recently been released. To listen to this fascinating work, click here.