On 28 January Daniel Pioro will lead Manchester Camerata in Tom Coult’s arrangement of Vivaldi’s La Follia for chamber orchestra at The Monastery, Manchester. The 12-minute piece is a vivid orchestration of Vivaldi’s trio sonata in D minor based on the widely used traditional folk theme from which its nickname is taken; the ‘madness’ of the title evokes the wild, stamping energies of the dance, brought to life in Coult’s arrangement by snapped pizzicatos, woodwind flutter-tonguing, and vigorous col legno effects.
La Follia was premiered by the BBC Philharmonic and Ryan McAdams in May 2021 as part of Coult’s ongoing composer-in-association role with the orchestra. It appeared alongside Coult’s arrangements of Baroque and early music for violin and chamber orchestra created for Pioro, including Giuseppe Tartini’s Sonata No.2 in D minor and Hildegard von Bingen’s O Ecclesia for violin and strings. La Follia received its first US performance in June 2023 from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christopher Rountree; it was recently performed by Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra at Manchester’s Stoller Hall in October 2023, conducted by Karen Ní Bhroin.
The 28 January Gorton concert also includes the premiere of Simon Parkin's 11-minute chamber orchestra work, Le Tombeau de Rameau, especially commissioned for the occasion.
In June 2023 Manchester Camerata and Pioro gave the world premiere of Coult’s arrangement of Pioro’s Saint Boy for violin and orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall as part of June’s MCR:CLASSICAL festival. The composition is taken from Pioro’s debut album with Kat Tinker, which also features Coult’s arrangement of O Ecclesia in another version for violin and organ. In 2021 Pioro premiered Coult’s violin concerto Pleasure Garden with the BBC Philharmonic and Elena Schwarz and has since performed the piece with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Manze.
On 28 March 2024 the composer and violinist continue their collaboration with the premiere of a new version of O Ecclesia for solo violin and choir from Pioro and the Marian Consort at Wigmore Hall. In November 2021 Pioro premiered Coult’s violin concerto Pleasure Garden with the BBC Philharmonic and Elena Schwarz at Bridgewater Hall.