NYPHIL.ORG/BIENNIAL #LETSPLAYNYP MAY 23—JUNE 11, 2016 16 1 A WIDE-RANGING EXPLORATION CONTENTS PROGRAMS & PAVILIONS 2 OF TODAY’S MUSIC EXTRAS 7 THE PARTNERS 8 THE BIENNIAL AT A GLANCE 10 28 EVENTS 100+ COMPOSERS 100s OF MUSICIANS LET’S PLAY 12 12 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS A flagship project of the New York Philharmonic, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL CREATING TODAY, INSPIRING TOMORROW is a wide-ranging exploration of today’s music that brings together an international roster of composers, performers, and curatorial voices for Two years have passed since we embarked on an experiment we decided with leading institutions of music education from far and wide, because the to call the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, borrowing a word from the world of Philharmonic has focused an even greater spotlight on our ability to inspire concerts presented both on the Lincoln Center campus and with partners ambitious visual art exhibitions to convey our own aspiration to present the rising generation of professional musicians. We are delighted to be an imaginative, varied, provocative, and surprising snapshot of the current providing this New York City platform for Colorado’s Aspen Music Festival in venues throughout the city. The second NY PHIL BIENNIAL, taking state of our art form. Our biennial is not a survey, nor is it a “Best of” list. It and School, Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy, Switzerland’s LUCERNE place May 23–June 11, 2016, features diverse programs — ranging from is an array of “pavilions”: distinct, even idiosyncratically curated collections FESTIVAL, and others. This biennial is giving these young musicians a of works by today’s composers that reflect the tastes, interests, and points platform on which they can both perform and also share their perspectives, solo works and a chamber opera to large-scale symphonies — by more of view of a variety of artists and music programmers, all of whom share a preferences, and priorities. passion for discovery and belief in the value of collaboration. I gave up counting the number of composers represented when I than 100 composers, more than half of whom are American; present some These collections arise from, and reflect, a sound world that is wider than reached 100. Like last time, these creators range in age and eminence, from ever. New works may be tonal, or serialist, or a combination of the two — icons like Pierre Boulez and György Ligeti to children just discovering their of the country’s top music schools and youth choruses; and expand to an approach that seemed irreconcilable half a century ago. They can be own compositional voices. And while they hail from a fascinating variety more New York City neighborhoods. A range of events and activities has performed by acoustic instruments, the unaccompanied human voice, or by of countries — from Brazil to Iceland, from Turkey to South Korea — this computer. Composers have an unprecedented flexibility in the media through biennial has a prominently American accent: more than half of the been created to engender an ongoing dialogue among artists, composers, which they create. That is what makes the juxtaposition of programs crafted composers are from the United States. There will be more than 50 World by a variety of sophisticated curators so fascinating and compelling. Premieres, not to mention dozens of U.S. and New York Premieres. The NY and audience members. Partners in the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL include To balance the need to choose with a determination to embrace — even PHIL BIENNIAL is intended to be a citywide celebration, so in addition to revel in — this diversity, we have joined with partners who also delight in traditional settings such as David Geffen Hall and the Rose Theater at Jazz National Sawdust; 92nd Street Y; Aspen Music Festival and School; new music, but who act on that delight with alternate viewpoints, interests, at Lincoln Center, we now venture into new spaces like the new Whitney Interlochen Center for the Arts; League of Composers / ISCM; Lincoln and sensibilities. Clearly, the first NY PHIL BIENNIAL, in 2014, struck a Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District and Williamsburg’s chord, because afterward we were approached by a gratifying number National Sawdust. Center for the Performing Arts; LUCERNE FESTIVAL; MetLiveArts; New of musicians and organizations — many based across the country and in In scanning through these pages I am proud because, as is the case with Europe — clamoring to be part of the second. With his rare combination of many truly exciting ideas, the NY PHIL BIENNIAL has taken on a life of York City Electroacoustic Music Festival; Whitney Museum of American empathy as a composer, insight as a performer, and eagerness as a learner, its own and created its own set of necessities and demands. It has been a Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonic’s Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in- joy to rise to the challenge posed by the warmth with which the inaugural Art; WQXR’s Q2 Music; and Yale School of Music. Residence, was the ideal colleague in poring over all the possibilities, and adventure was received. This project fulfills my highest aspirations for helping to craft a second biennial with more partners curating an even manifesting the pioneering role the New York Philharmonic plays in the Major support for the NY PHIL BIENNIAL is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, greater variety of musical pavilions than were on display in 2014. world of music. The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and The Francis Goelet Fund. To accommodate this surge of enthusiasm by musicians, performing Additional funding is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and Honey M. Kurtz. arts organizations, and museums — and the audiences keen for yet more Esa-Pekka Salonen is The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence. immersion in the new — we expanded the biennial to 28 events presented by the New York Philharmonic and our 12 partners. I know that Matthew ALAN GILBERT VanBesien, the Philharmonic’s President, is as excited as I am to collaborate New York Philharmonic Music Director CO-PRESENTED BY THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC AND LINCOLN CENTER’S GREAT PERFORMERS AS PART OF THE PROGRAMS & PAVILIONS LINCOLN CENTER–NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC OPERA INITIATIVE PRESENTED BY 92ND STREET Y THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016, 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016, 7:30 P.M. CO-PRESENTED BY THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC, SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2016, 7:30 P.M. LUCERNE FESTIVAL, AND METLIVEARTS MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016, 8:30 P.M. ILAN VOLKOV, CONDUCTOR RAMIN GRAY, DIRECTOR JACK QUARTET BEN CLARK, ASSOCIATE SET DESIGN, AFTER AN IDEA BY JOHANNES SCHÜTZ CHRISTINA CUNNINGHAM, COSTUME DESIGN Cenk ERGÜN Sonare (New York Premiere) FRANZ PETER DAVID, LIGHTING DESIGN FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016, 7:00 P.M. Derek BERMEL Intonations (World Premiere) LEON BAUGH, MOVEMENT DIRECTOR Cenk ERGÜN Celare (New York Premiere) CO-PRESENTED BY YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND WQXR’S Q2 MUSIC NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC Ligeti Forward, Program I Marc SABAT Euler Lattice Spirals Scenery (New York Premiere) PRODUCTION BY THE ROYAL OPERA ALAN GILBERT, CONDUCTOR DAVID FULMER, CONDUCTOR (CHIN) 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue MUSIC Gerald BARRY The Importance of Being Earnest CONOR HANICK, PIANO Cenk Ergün’s Celare and Sonare have been made possible by the (U.S. Stage Premiere–Co-Commissioned Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, ENSEMBLE OF THE LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016, 7:00 P.M. by Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund. Association, Gustavo Dudamel, Music MUSICIANS FROM THE YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC Director, and Barbican Centre, London) Alexandre LUNSQUI Kinetic Study 2 JESSICA PRAY, SOPRANO Alexandre LUNSQUI Three Short Pieces DOUGLAS DICKSON, PIANO Simon Wilding, bass (Lane / Merriman) Unsuk CHIN Fantaisie mécanique Benedict Nelson, baritone (Algernon Moncrieff) György LIGETI Piano Concerto HELGA DAVIS, HOST Paul Curievici, tenor (John Worthing) Stephanie Marshall, mezzo-soprano (Gwendolen Fairfax) Charles IVES Five songs for voice and piano: Alan Ewing, bass (Lady Bracknell) Disclosure, Mists, West London, Hilary Summers, contralto (Miss Prism) SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2016, 7:00 P.M. World’s Wanderers, and Memories Claudia Boyle, soprano (Cecily Cardew) Christopher THEOFANIDIS Kaoru for two flutes Kevin West (The Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.) CO-PRESENTED BY THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC AND NATIONAL SAWDUST Aaron Jay KERNIS Toward the Setting Sun (Vers le soleil Ligeti Forward, Program II couchant) (New York Premiere) Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Circle CONDUCTOR Hannah LASH Leaves, Space (New York Premiere) ALAN GILBERT, David LANG where you go for 12 singers (New DAVID FULMER, CONDUCTOR (FUJIKURA) York Premiere) JAY CAMPBELL, CELLO Martin BRESNICK And I Always Thought for clarinet, ENSEMBLE OF THE LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016, 7:00 P.M. violin, and piano (New York TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2016, 7:00 P.M. Premiere) Marc-André DALBAVIE Axiom Hilary PURRINGTON For your judicious and pious György LIGETI Cello Concerto Shared Madness consideration for mezzo-soprano, Dai FUJIKURA ice viola, and piano (New York JENNIFER KOH, VIOLIN Premiere) HELGA DAVIS, HOST The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, 44 Charlton Street SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2016, 2:00 P.M. Works by more than 30 composers, which taken together explore the shared creative space between composer and performer in the 21st PRESENTED BY NATIONAL SAWDUST Ligeti Forward, Program III century, with a concentration on virtuosity. Presented over two nights, the following ALAN GILBERT, CONDUCTOR composers’ contributions will be heard in their DAVID FULMER, CONDUCTOR (GRISEY) World Premieres: PRESENTED BY THE LEAGUE OF COMPOSERS / ISCM MIVOS QUARTET FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016, 7:00 P.M. PEKKA KUUSISTO, VIOLIN Samuel ADAMS, Timo ANDRES, Matt AUCOIN, Jean-Baptiste BARRIÈRE, Derek BERMEL, Lisa BIELAWA, Daníel BJARNASON, ENSEMBLE OF THE LUCERNE FESTIVAL ALUMNI BROOKLYN RIDER David BRUCE, Chris CERRONE, Anthony CHEUNG, Bryce Gérard GRISEY Talea DESSNER, Zosha DI CASTRI, Philip GLASS, Michael GORDON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016, 7:30 P.M.