The Stockport-born composer is perhaps best known for his critically-acclaimed Rumpelstitskin, a theatrical piece commissioned by BCMG and premiered in Birmingham in 2009, and his opera Skin Deep, on the theme of plastic surgery with a libretto by Armando Iannucci.

BCMG has commissioned and recorded a number of works by Sawer, however it is three pieces new to the Group that feature in this concert.

The most substantial of these, Cat’s-eye, takes its inspiration from a simple device (a ‘l’oeil-de-chat’ – hence the title) in a Fantascope, a Victorian magic lantern, to look at ideas of illusion and changing perspective. Between is a short, beautiful solo piece for Harp, and Good Night is a continuous train of musical thoughts that transform when inspected more closely.

The performance closes what has been an exciting season for BCMG. Highlights have included Crowd Out, the mass-participation performance at Millennium Point, recently nominated for a prestigious Royal Philhamonic Society award, and Raga Fields, a performance fusing traditional Indian and contemporary classical music, and featuring master sarod player Param Vir.