| Jonathan will be in conversation about Lessons in Harmony, and in a special celebration of the book’s central theme, there will also be a recital of Ravel’s boundary pushing Sonata for Violin and Cello by Bristol Ensemble’s Marian Givens and Juliet McCarthy, two of Bristol’s most accomplished classical musicians. In the words of the celebrated cellist, Christian Poltéra, the four movements they will perform are ‘arguably the greatest masterpiece for those two instruments.’
This is a unique, one-off opportunity to hear from one of the UK’s leading fiction writers of the last several decades, and to experience the work of one of the 20th century’s most influential composers.
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‘Please God … if there is a next life, let me write as well as Jonathan Coe.’
Anthony Bourdain
‘A novelist who gains in range and reputation with every book.’ Pat Barker
‘Lessons In Harmony … is as witty, lapidary and elegant as a Ravel miniature and as rich and deep as Vaughan Williams at his most lyrical. With his love of music, European culture and the foibles of Britishness, Jonathan Coe is uniquely equipped to craft this story of male friendship, art, love and nationhood.’ Stuart Maconie
‘The writing has all the subtlety and wit that is customary for Jonathan Coe, but rare, and there is so much wisdom in it – about the sacrifices demanded of the friends and partners in the orbit of a musical genius, about rivalry, disappointment, and the convulsions of world politics.’ Clare Chambers
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Jonathan Coe is the award-winning, bestselling author of fifteen novels, including What a Carve Up!, The Rotters’ Club, Middle England and, most recently, The Proof of My Innocence. He has won the Costa Novel Award, the Prix du Livre Européen, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Prix Médicis Étranger and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, among many others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His work has been translated into twenty-two languages.
Marian Givens studied at Royal Holloway University and the Royal Academy of Music. She currently enjoys a varied career, combining her love of both pop and classical music with session and West End work. She has toured with Beverley Knight, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Giorgio Moroder, and is co principal second violin of the Essential Orchestra, touring regularly with Pete Tong and making TV appearances. She also plays in orchestras such as the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Mozart Players, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and leads string sections for Leo Green and Benjamin Clementine in live shows. She deps on touring shows and recent productions have been Moulin Rouge, Annie, Greatest Showman, Book of Mormon, and Dear Evan Hansen. Marian is a core member the Bristol Ensemble.
Juliet McCarthy played in musical theatre productions on tour and in the West End for 15 years, including two years in London playing on West Side Story. She has played principal cello with Bristol Ensemble, the National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra de Cymru, Swansea City Opera, the British Sinfonietta, and the British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra among many others. As a session cellist Juliet has worked with former Massive Attack producer, Neil Davidge, on Britannia, In the Dark, Black Mirror,The Fear Index and Criminal Record. She also recently played on two Aardman animations productions, As a soloist she can be heard on many productions, including the RTE documentary North Atlantic, the film Ben is Back starring Julia Roberts, The Third Day, an HBO series starring Jude Law and Naomie Harris, and most recently on a short film, Dadio, with Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson. Juliet also teaches at several Bristol schools. |
