Reich 80Th Birthday Celebrations
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October 2016 Reich 80th birthday celebrations Events around the world honouring Steve Reich’s 80th include New York first performances of two new works, Pulse and Runner. San Francisco Steve Reich’s 80th is celebrated with over 400 of the all-Reich concert at Carnegie Hall on Los Angeles performances in more than 20 countries this year. 1 November with the united forces of ICE, Toronto With the birthday itself falling on 3 October, this Soˉ Percussion and Synergy Vocals conducted Photo: © Newspix/Alan Pryke autumn brings major series in New York, London by David Robertson. London and Paris as well as first performances of his latest Reich describes Pulse as “a calmer more Paris works. One of the leading composers of the past contemplative piece” than his recent Quartet, half century, Reich lays genuine claim to directing Amsterdam employing a fixed pulse and steady harmonies musical history onto an alternative path, opening with varied accentuation coming from hand Cologne composition to influences beyond the central alternation patterns on the piano. Following Frankfurt classical canon. New York, the European premiere is at the Hannover Reich combined his early experiments on tape Barbican’s Steve Reich at 80 series on loops and phasing patterns with his researches 5 November, followed by an Ensemble Modern Leipzig into African drumming and Balinese gamelan to tour to Paris and Cologne, with further Munich create a radical new style, simple in materials yet performances in Amsterdam’s ZaterdagMatinee complex in its intricate rhythmic patterning. The series and in a Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Budapest scope of his works grew through the 1970s to Umbrella concert in January. Singapore create era-defining scores such as Drumming Taipei and Music for 18 Musicians. In succeeding decades he turned to recorded speech and “...a startlingly original Tokyo documentary media to create Different Trains composer and a trailblazer...” Sydney and his video operas in collaboration with Beryl Stephen Sondheim Korot including Three Tales. All these works are surveyed in the retrospectives Runner is unveiled in a new ballet choreographed athletically, with its five movement sections Cal Performances series in Berkeley in the New mounted by Carnegie Hall in New York, the by Wayne McGregor at The Royal Ballet in each employing different note durations in a Year. For full information on Reich performances Barbican in London and the Philharmonie in Paris. London on 10 November. Scored for a large distinctive Reich arch-form. European concert this year, including details of programmes in New The world premiere of Pulse for winds, strings, ensemble of winds, percussion, piano and performances follow from Ensemble Modern York, London, Paris and beyond, visit piano and electric bass provides the centrepiece strings, the new work opens and closes with the US premiere by Ensemble Signal in the www.boosey.com/reich80. Award. Choral forces of 250 voices are joined by Turnage Jenkins Sinfonia Cymru as orchestra, under the baton of the composer. The Aberfan memorial event in Einojuhani Season premieres Cantata Memoria Cardiff is produced for telecast on S4C by Rondo This season brings five Media. The US premiere of Cantata Memoria is Rautavaara new Mark-Anthony scheduled for Carnegie Hall on 15 January with Turnage works composed Distinguished Concerts International New York (1928–2016) over the past three years conducted by Jonathan Griffith. with premieres on three Jenkins writes of how he “was mindful of the continents. Hibiki was responsibility the commission carried in writing commissioned by Suntory something with integrity and accessibility Photo: © Ondine Records Hall for its 30th anniversary that would connect and move everyone – and is premiered on 12 the bereaved who are still with us, those We pay tribute to Einojuhani Rautavaara, the November with the Little who remember and those who come to this leading Finnish composer of his generation, Singers of Tokyo and the catastrophe anew. Paradoxically, dealing with a who died on 27 July, aged 87. Following Photo: © Phillip Gatward Metropolitan Symphony subject that lies so deep in the Welsh soul was studies in Helsinki, New York and Tanglewood, Orchestra under Kazushi Ono. The 50-minute both a harrowing and uplifting experience. The he developed a style that combined twelve- work draws its name from the Japanese for work is in two distinct sections but is performed note techniques with Romanticism, becoming ‘beautiful sound’ and is intended as consolation continuously. The first 20 minutes deal with the established as the symphonic successor to after loss – whether from war, earthquake or tragedy and the immediate aftermath, and the Sibelius while contributing works in every genre. tsunami. His six threnodies and a dance combine following 35 minutes move from darkness to light, In the late 1960s he distanced himself from orchestral movements with vocal settings for reliving memories and celebrating childhood, serialism and his mystical character came to the soprano and mezzo soloist plus children’s choir. ending with Lux æterna (everlasting light).” fore with music of richly-coloured lyricism, as First US performances of Shroud, Turnage’s The latest choral work of Karl Jenkins is released heard in the widely performed Cantus Arcticus: new work for the Emerson Quartet, take it to on disc by Deutsche Grammophon this month, concerto for birds and orchestra (1972) and his New York on 23 October for a concert in the tied to its premiere in Cardiff on 8 October. “Aberfan is a subject that lies ‘Angel’ series of orchestral works. His stageworks Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Cantata Memoria was commissioned by S4C to so deep in the Welsh soul...” often explored issues of creativity and madness, programme, followed by a tour in November commemorate the Aberfan tragedy 50 years ago, Karl Jenkins such as Vincent, Aleksis Kivi and Rasputin, while to the Philharmonie in Berlin and Wigmore Hall when a coal spoil tip enveloped a school and from the 1990s his symphonies and concerti were in London. Also in November is the premiere houses in a South Wales mining village, killing increasingly commissioned by orchestras outside The summer saw Karl Jenkins’s The Armed of Maya, part of the Swedish Chamber 116 children and 28 adults. Beyond memorialising his native Finland. Man: A Mass for Peace reach a landmark Orchestra’s Brandenburg Concerto project with the catastrophe itself, Jenkins’s work adopts a 2000th performance, confirming its status as Recent works included the cello concerto Towards Turnage’s work matching the scoring of Bach’s wider focus, mourning the loss of children in more the most frequently programmed new classical the Horizon, Into the Heart of Light for chamber first concerto, featuring cellist Maya Beiser. universal terms. work for choir and orchestra of recent decades. orchestra and the Lorca setting Balada for choir Whereas Shroud remembers two of Turnage’s Cantata Memoria is scored for chorus – Jenkins conducted the performance at the Royal and orchestra. Fantasia for violin and orchestra, closest friends from his early years, his new both mixed adult and young voices – baritone Albert Hall in London on 3 July with the Royal one of his final scores, has been recorded for orchestral work Remembering is a memorial for and soprano vocalists and orchestra with Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Choral release by Anne Akiko Meyers, the Philharmonia Evan Scofield, the son of guitarist and long- prominent solos for violin, euphonium and harp. Society, and Warner Classics released a special Orchestra and Kristjan Järvi on the eOne label and term Turnage collaborator John Scofield. First The libretto has been written by poet, academic Limited Edition of the recording which has receives its concert premiere in Kansas City under performances by the London Symphony and linguist Mererid Hopwood, who worked achieved 17 gold and platinum disc awards. Michael Stern in March. Orchestra on 19 January and Berlin Philharmonic closely with the composer on including references on 21 June see Turnage reunited with Simon to contemporary accounts of the tragedy and Rattle, the conductor who according to the the funerals. Jenkins describes how “this work composer “understands my style intimately and is music and a poem. It is not a documentary, Inside this issue… instinctively knows how to approach it”. nor even a dramatisation, but it does include a conflation of ideas and facts that were relevant Spring 2017 unveils Turnage’s Martland and by now part of the legacy.” Memorial for percussion and orchestra, featuring Colin Currie and the Britten-Pears Orchestra The premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre under Marin Alsop, including a performance at features leading Welsh soloists, as on the DG the Royal Festival Hall on 7 April. The composer disc (0289 479 6486 5), including singers describes the work as “a quirky set of five Bryn Terfel and Elin Manahan Thomas, euphonist character pieces with marimba and vibes, David Childs and harpist Catrin Finch, together Glanert Andriessen Adams Gruber recalling Colin playing with the Steve Martland with young violinist Joo Yeon Sir, winner of the Interview on new Theatre of the World Celebrating his Berlin staging of Band, plus some exotic toy instruments”. inaugural The Arts Club/Sir Karl Jenkins Music Requiem for in Los Angeles 70th birthday Tales from the Hieronymus Bosch and Amsterdam around the world Vienna Woods Glanert Bosch Requiem But, step by step, the large choir and the Detlev Glanert introduces his new Requiem in honour of the 500th orchestra move across to the Requiem side, anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch, premiered in the artist’s home and from the Libera me onwards the soloists join town in November. them, until they are all united in the final section. Before the commission for the Bosch Requiem, What drew you to juxtaposing the Latin The work ends with an In paradisum and how had you discovered the artist’s unique world? Requiem Mass with texts from the Carmina consoling words from Revelation.