Ellen Arkbro presents a commissioned work developed during her Somerset House x Goethe-Institut x CTM residency, performed with the London Crumhorn Consort in a programme dedicated to new commissions and premieres. The evening features two contemporary compositions exploring sustained harmony, instrumental resonance, and sonic depth.

Arkbro's piece, "For Crumhorns and Regal," examines the unique texture of the Renaissance crumhorn—a double-reed woodwind with characteristic buzzy timbre—in precise harmonic architectures. Performed by the London Crumhorn Consort with reed organ, the work challenges the instrument's breath-bound nature to achieve stable chordal blocks approaching synthesizer-like compound sound. The players strive for harmonic clarity through heightened attentiveness and tuning precision, exploring the tension between the unreachable ideal of pure tone and the effort required to approach it.

Also featured is Raheel Khan's new work, "Oh Forewarn," exploring sustained tones, slippage and melodic contour through lower brass registers and analogue synthesis, drawing on horns as signalling devices and themes of infrastructural residue and devotional loops.

The Assembly series activates Somerset House's neoclassical spaces with live concerts and audio explorations from leading practitioners in contemporary art and music, now in its fifth edition dedicated to commissions and premieres.

Presented as part of Assembly 2026 at Somerset House Studios, London, in partnership with Goethe-Institut London and CTM Festival Berlin.

Read more