Codex (Homage to Serafini) by Tom Coult: Resonate

About the piece

Codex takes as its inspiration the fantastical works of artist Luigi Serafini. His major work Codex Seraphinianus is a compendium of imaginary animals and landscapes, with each illustration meticulously annotated in a made-up script. Like Serafini’s illustration, Coult’s piece has no discernible function except to charm and beguile the listener.

About the composer

Tom Coult is a composer born in London in 1988. His work has been championed by many of the UK’s major orchestras and ensembles, resulting in a series of acclaimed large-scale pieces, including Beautiful Caged Thing for soprano Claire Booth and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Sonnet Machine for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and Spirit of the Staircase for the London Sinfonietta (nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award). In July, his St John’s Dance was premiered by Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to open the First Night of the 2017 BBC Proms.

Championed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra