A photo portrait of Polish composer and musician Hania Rani
Music
Outdoor

Hania Rani

Somerset House Summer Series with American Express

Wed 17 Jul 2024
Doors 19.30
£36.25 (includes £3.75 booking fee)

For telephone bookings call 0333 320 2836. Lines are open between 09.00 - 18.00 - Mon-Fri, 10.00 - 18.00 - Sat, Sun and Bank Holidays.

The Edmond J. Safra
Fountain Court

The acclaimed Polish musician and composer Hania Rani effortlessly blurs the lines between ambient, minimalism and House, submerging rhythmic pulses beneath cascading melodies.

Rani is conservatory trained, but like many post-classical artists, brings her own influences to radically transform tradition. She’s regularly performed in concert halls across Europe, but it was revelatory live performances, such as 2022’s livestream from the prestigious Les Invalides in Paris, which has picked up over six million views to date, and January’s compelling Tiny Desk Concert, that have brought her to wider attention.

There’s a fascinating restless energy about Rani, accompanied by double bassist Ziemowit Klimek, and the inquisitive way she switches constantly between piano and multiple synths with ease, often within the same song.

Hushed vocals and compelling melodies

The Guardian

Rani has proven equally adept at conjuring enigmatic classical compositions, sound installations, alternative pop, and won a number of awards for film scores. Her first two albums for Manchester’s Gondwana Records, Esja and Home, established a template for blissful soundscapes and the latter was a Rough Trade album of the year, but her latest, Ghosts, sees another significant shift, with sweeping strings and her crystalline voice brought into the light.

Released in October 2023, the album features a host of outstanding collaborators including Patrick Watson, Ólafur Arnalds and Duncan Bellamy (Portico Quartet), and was made with the help of Viktor Orri Árnason on string arrangements.

The opportunity to experience Rani and her band perform these ethereal, magical tracks in the open-air setting of Somerset House’s intimate courtyard at sunset is part of what makes Summer Series so special.

Hania Rani, Tiny Desk Concert

+ DANALOGUE

Multi-disciplinary musician and producer Danalogue (aka Dan Leavers) is no stranger to Summer Series, having played last year with the Mercury prize‑nominated trio The Comet is Coming, and he can also be seen with drummer Max Hallett (aka Betamax) in the duo Soccer96’s explosive jazz‑electronica fusion. Beyond his own projects, Danalogue’s impressive production CV features Snapped Ankles, Ibibio Sound Machine, Lunch Money Life and Alabaster DePlume. 

Danalogue,-Photo-Anna-Mitchell.jpg

A hooded Danalogue (aka Dan Leavers) reclining on an outdoor table tennis table with a block of flats in the background
Danalogue, Photo Anna Mitchell