The Silent Musician (Faber & Faber event)

Have you ever wondered what a conductor does? To celebrate the publication of The Silent Musician, Faber Members is delighted to host Mark Wigglesworth and Nicholas Hytner in conversation. Hugely acclaimed in their respective fields, their discussion will focus on the parallels between conducting music and directing theatre. Join us for this rare opportunity to hear two generation-defining arts leaders discuss their work.

On The Silent Musician

A conductor is one of classical music’s most recognisable figures. Many people who have never actually been to an orchestral concert have an image of what one looks like. But rarely does such a well-known profession attract so many questions: ‘Surely orchestras can play perfectly well without you?  Do you really make any difference to the performance?’

The Silent Musician is not intended to be an instruction manual for conductors, nor is it a history of conducting. It is for all who wonder what conductors actually do. Exploring the relationships with the musicians and music they conduct, and the public and personal responsibilities they face, leading conductor Mark Wigglesworth writes with engaging honesty about the role for any music lover curious to know whether or not the profession really matters.

Mark Wigglesworth

One of the UK’s leading conductors, Mark Wigglesworth has worked with over a hundred orchestras in venues ranging from Vienna’s Musikverein to New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House to the Hollywood Bowl, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to the Metropolitan Opera, New York. He enjoyed a long relationship with English National Opera and in 2017 he won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. He has written articles for The Guardian and The Independent, made a six-part BBC TV series entitled ‘Everything to Play For,’ and recorded a highly acclaimed cycle of Shostakovich symphonies. In 2017 he won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

Nicholas Hytner

Hytner on of the co-founders of The Bridge Theatre.  From 2003-2015 he was Director of the National Theatre, where he fostered a new generation of actors and offered an acclaimed mix of classical and original productions, including: Othello, One Man Two Guvnors, Hamlet, The Habit of Art, Phèdre, England People Very Nice, Much Ado About Nothing, His Dark Materials, The History Boys, The Wind in the Willows, and Carousel. He also directed a range of popular films, including The History Boys, The Madness of King George and The Crucible.

Nicholas Hytner has won a BAFTA, four Olivier Awards, five Evening Standard Awards, the London Critics’ Circle Award, two NY Drama Desk Awards and two Tony Awards.

Event location: Bloomsbury House
Price: £20/£16 (Faber Members)
Book via Faber’s website:
https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/event/mark-wigglesworth-and-nicholas-hytner-in-conversation/