London Sinfonietta 2013/14 season brochure

@Ldn_Sinfonietta facebook.com/londonsinfonietta londonsinfonietta.wordpress.com londonsinfonietta.org.uk

Colère de Paganini 2004 Š Arman, courtesy of Arman Studio Archives NY

London Sinfonietta This is not a museum

2013/14 season

Making new music for curious ears

Composers and artists of all ages have explored new ideas and taken risks. New music created by today’s composers can divide opinion and create debate.

It will certainly engage your mind, your emotions, and compel you to keep listening. Some of it will get inside your head and stay there.

Feed the curiosity of your ears, and get some inspiration for life. Come and listen to the London Sinfonietta making new music this season.

Events that bring Southbank Centre’s year-long festival The Rest Is Noise up to the end of the century, then forge ahead into music of the 21st, including two major music theatre projects.

New Music from over 20 composers writing solo, ensemble and cross-art-form commissions, and our expanded Blue Touch Paper programme to make experiments with music, dance and other arts.

Take Part in career-defining opportunities for emerging professional players and conductors,

concerts for schools to inspire pupils and teachers with the music of today, and performances by teenagers who make new music with our players. Plus open calls to the public (you) to join in.

Neuwirth: American Lulu

Friday 13 – Tuesday 24 (not 16, 19) September 2013 7.30pm, except Saturday 14 September at 7pm Young Vic Tickets £32.50, £25, £19.50, £15, £10 (+ concessions) Postage fees may apply (see back cover) Olga Neuwirth American Lulu (London premiere) Angel Blue Jacqui Dankworth Donald Maxwell Robert Winslade Anderson Jonathan Stoughton Paul Curievici Simon Wilding Paul Reeves Donna Bateman (Friday 20 September only) Gerry Cornelius conductor John Fulljames director Magda Willi design Finn Ross video Guy Hoare light Carolyn Downing sound design Emma Woodvine dialect coach Co-produced by The Opera Group, Bregenzer Festspiele, Scottish Opera, and the Young Vic in association with the London Sinfonietta.

Co-commissioned by Komische Oper Berlin with The Opera Group, London.

Supported by the Columbia Foundation Fund of the London Community Foundation.

A new interpretation of Alban Berg’s opera Lulu Unfinished at his death in 1935, Alban Berg’s opera Lulu is a tantalising prospect for anyone grappling with its completion. Setting her own libretto, Olga Neuwirth re-works the first two acts and composes an entirely original third, transporting Berg’s femme fatale to the smoky jazz clubs of 1950s New Orleans where Lulu, a young and aspiring dancer, finds herself at the heart of the Civil Rights struggle. As Lulu looks back at her life, scarred by its tumultuous events, she must come to terms with a sordid history of sex, murder and suicide. #americanlulu

Britten and Postal Pieces A gorgeous scheme from @Ldn_Sinfonietta composing on the back of a postcard! #RSVP George Chambers @geocham

Outstanding Luke Bedford concert @Ldn_Sinfonietta.

Full of clarity, beauty and intelligence. #Impressive sounds Ben Gernon @GernonBen

“Great to see orchestras daring to present music differently” Richard Morrison for The Times

What do you hear?

Comment on our blog: londonsinfonietta.wordpress.com Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/londonsinfonietta Silence, space and cognition Tell us in a tweet: @Ldn_Sinfonietta

Kings Place Festival

A centenary celebration

Follow: The second of this evening’s two concerts asks: Jonathan Morton Principal First Violin @jon_morton whatExecutive transforms silence into music? Can one Andrew Burke Chief @ab2102 exist withoutAssistant the other?

Our traditional methods James Joslin Administrative @james_joslin

of listening are grounded in something we rarely even acknowledge, but silence, space and Last night I saw @Ldn_Sinfonietta elegiac thought-pieces to exhilarating “Luke Bedford’s Renewal was well servedare for at the heart of both Morton Feldman cognition play aFrom beautiful concert of Webern its world wide premiere by the London Sinfonietta dramatic works, Britten’s music traverses for £6.50.

A profound experience and James Tenney’s music. While Feldman’s who executed the minute adjustments and his legacyof has left madeemotional accessible landscapes to all. spacious tempo and timbre with precision andworks have echoes of Rothko’s James Opstadpowerful @james_opstad a more imprint upon Britishbrilliance.” musical***** contemplative, abstract canvasses, Tenney’s Guy Damman for The Guardian culture than any other figure in the 20th century. music asks the audience to ‘really listen to the Incorporating works by those who inspired sounds, get inside them, notice the details’. Often “The peerless London Sinfonietta lapped him alongside those for whom he has been an sparsely notated with cryptic up their latest Steve Reich commission Terrific playing by the musicians of thisinstructions, these inspiration, Radio Rewrite, this which centenary is sure to join celebration marries pieces will transform the way you perceive your Counterpoint and Double Sextet Academy tonight. theinElectric enigmatic music of Alban Berg and Colinyear’s @Ldn_Sinfonietta experience as a listener. the vanguard of their repertoire.”

Enjoyed hearing the fruits of their hard Matthews, withforEdmund Finnis, an original voice Stephen Pritchard The Observer #postalpieces work @lsostlukes of a new generation. (views expressed are personal rather than those of the London Sinfonietta)

Overheard A-level boy in Steve Reich Sunday 15 September 2013 concert “one day we’ll tell7.45pm our grandchildren Kingsabout Place this concert” @Ldn_Sinfonietta Tickets £4.50 online @makesmeexcited Gayle Sutherland Please add £2 per ticket for in-person or phone bookings

Alban Berg Four Pieces Colin Matthews Oscuro Calmo Edmund Off to see Finnis Four @SteveReichDuets tonight Colin Matthews Three Interludes @Ldn_Sinfonietta @southbankcentre Benjamin Britten Lachrymae The gig of the decade - unspeakably excited to see of my heroes.

Mark van de one Wiel clarinet Philip Flood @Philip_Flood Jane Atkins viola John Constable piano

Sam Wilcock @samuelwilcock

Sunday 15 September 2013 9.30pm Kings Place Tickets £4.50 online Please add £2 per ticket for in-person or phone bookings

“The New Music Show 2012 brought a Tenney Having Never Written a Note for Percussion club-likeJames informality into the concert Morton Feldman The Viola in my Life 3 format,James put music into unusual spaces, Tenney Cellogram and brought performers and Mortonyoung Feldman Last Pieces, No. 1 James Tenney Swell Piece for Alison Knowles composers centre-stage.”

Mortonfor Feldman Four Instruments Ivan Hewett The Telegraph Public submissions RSVP premieres

Jane Atkins solo viola Finished! entry for @Ldn_Sinfonietta TimMyGill solo cello #RSVP. Never got so much enjoyment from John Constable solo piano putting together a piece of music.

Hockings solo percussion RonnieDavid MacNiven @acoustictourist

Take part

#britten

Neuwirth: American Lulu RSVP Inspired by our upcoming performance of James Tenney’s Postal Pieces, over the summer we asked you to compose and send us a piece of new music on a postcard. We received hundreds of ideas in all shapes and sizes, some of which we wanted to share with you here. Join us at Kings Place Festival on Sunday 15 September to hear some selected world premieres. chna Kwiatko

By Daria Dobro

wska

By Emma-Ruth Richards

By Ronald Ma

cNiven

Friday 13 – Tuesday 24 (not 16, 19) September 2013 7.30pm, except Saturday 14 September at 7pm Young Vic Tickets £32.50, £25, £19.50, £15, £10 (+ concessions) Postage fees may apply (see back cover) Olga Neuwirth American Lulu (London premiere) Angel Blue Jacqui Dankworth Donald Maxwell Robert Winslade Anderson Jonathan Stoughton Paul Curievici

By René Mogen sen Simon Wilding Paul Reeves Donna Bateman (Friday 20 September only)

Take part

Gerry Cornelius conductor John Fulljames director Magda Willi design Finn Ross video Guy Hoare light Carolyn Downing sound design Emma Woodvine dialect coach Co-produced by The Opera Group, Bregenzer Festspiele, Scottish Opera, and the Young Vic in association with the London Sinfonietta.

Co-commissioned by Komische Oper Berlin with The Opera Group, London.

Supported by the Columbia Foundation Fund of the London Community Foundation.

By David Denyer

A new interpretation of Alban Berg’s opera Lulu Unfinished at his death in 1935, Alban Berg’s opera Lulu is a tantalising prospect for anyone grappling with its completion. Setting her own libretto, Olga Neuwirth re-works the first two acts and composes an entirely original third, transporting Berg’s femme fatale to the smoky e Price jazz clubs ByofLuk1950s New Orleans where Lulu, a young and aspiring dancer, finds herself at the heart of the Civil Rights struggle. As Lulu looks back at her life, scarred by its tumultuous events, she must come to terms with a sordid history of sex, murder and suicide. #americanlulu

Britten and Postal Pieces Kings Place Festival A centenary celebration From elegiac thought-pieces to exhilarating dramatic works, Britten’s music traverses wide emotional landscapes and his legacy has left a more powerful imprint upon British musical culture than any other figure in the 20th century.

Incorporating works by those who inspired him alongside those for whom he has been an inspiration, this centenary celebration marries the enigmatic music of Alban Berg and Colin Matthews, with Edmund Finnis, an original voice of a new generation. #britten Sunday 15 September 2013 7.45pm Kings Place Tickets £4.50 online Please add £2 per ticket for in-person or phone bookings

Alban Berg Four Pieces Colin Matthews Oscuro Calmo Edmund Finnis Four Duets Colin Matthews Three Interludes Benjamin Britten Lachrymae Mark van de Wiel clarinet Jane Atkins viola John Constable piano

Silence, space and cognition The second of this evening’s two concerts asks: what transforms silence into music? Can one exist without the other? Our traditional methods of listening are grounded in something we rarely even acknowledge, but silence, space and cognition are at the heart of both Morton Feldman and James Tenney’s music. While Feldman’s spacious works have echoes of Rothko’s contemplative, abstract canvasses, Tenney’s music asks the audience to ‘really listen to the sounds, get inside them, notice the details’. Often sparsely notated with cryptic instructions, these pieces will transform the way you perceive your experience as a listener. #postalpieces Sunday 15 September 2013 9.30pm Kings Place Tickets £4.50 online Please add £2 per ticket for in-person or phone bookings

James Tenney Having Never Written a Note for Percussion Morton Feldman The Viola in my Life 3 James Tenney Cellogram Morton Feldman Last Pieces, No. 1 James Tenney Swell Piece for Alison Knowles Morton Feldman Four Instruments Public submissions RSVP premieres Jane Atkins solo viola Tim Gill solo cello John Constable solo piano David Hockings solo percussion

Stockhausen: Gruppen

Sunday 6 October 2013 6pm Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £25, £15 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Karlheinz Stockhausen Gruppen Luigi Nono Canti per 13 Polifonica – Monodia – Ritmica Karlheinz Stockhausen Gruppen (second performance) Martyn Brabbins conductor Baldur Brönnimann conductor Geoffrey Paterson conductor Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Take part in Southbank Centre’s Post-War World weekend: therestisnoise.southbankcentre.co.uk Supported by The Goethe Institute.

Three orchestras, one stage Luigi Nono’s uncompromising post-war meditations on form, silence and timbre form a fitting precursor to one of the pinnacles of the Darmstadt School’s output. A landmark in 20th century composition, Gruppen must be seen and heard to be believed. Stockhausen’s testament to serial composition is scored for three independent orchestras, each with its own conductor, bringing over 100 players together on stage to create a momentous tower of sound.

As the music ebbs and flows, Stockhausen’s kaleidoscopic colours and shifting textures evoke the rise and fall of the Graubünder Alps which were the work’s inspiration. Rarely performed, few other pieces have such a dramatic impact in live performance. #gruppen

Haas: in vain Emerging Artists The London Sinfonietta launches a new Emerging Artists programme. Each year, the ensemble will select a small number of emerging professional musicians at the start of promising and brilliant careers, to work with and perform alongside the experienced Principal Players of the London Sinfonietta in events across the season. They will also receive coaching on particular repertoire and opportunities to create new music in close contact with established composers.

Support the next generation of players as a member of the Pioneers. Visit londonsinfonietta.org.uk/pioneers Supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity.

Friday 6 December 2013 6.45pm Composer Conversation 8pm Main Event Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £20, £10 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Georg Friedrich Haas in vain (London premiere) André de Ridder conductor Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Performed in white light and pitch black Premiered in 2000 and now receiving its much-awaited London premiere, Haas’ in vain is an extraordinary work of contradictions and juxtapositions, exploring a heightened sensory world where darkness and light collide. Written in protest to the rise of the far-right Freedom Party in the 1999 Austrian elections, in vain hints at a frightening world where dark, unnatural forces are at work. As familiar harmonies meet microtonal systems, Haas evokes an otherworldly realm that oscillates between the past and the present, between clarity and dystopia. Performed partly in complete darkness, in vain transforms the concert hall into a mysterious new landscape, where you must trust your ears and relinquish your sight. #invain

Take part

“How to describe it? An astonishing work of art that has become a cult wherever it is played. One of the first great masterpieces of the 21st century.”

Sir Simon Rattle

Stockhausen: Gruppen Principal Players Michael Cox flute (supported by Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner)

Gareth Hulse oboe Mark van de Wiel clarinet John Orford bassoon Simon Haram saxophone Michael Thompson horn (supported by Belinda Matthews)

Alistair Mackie trumpet Byron Fulcher trombone Jonathan Morton violin 1 Joan Atherton violin 2 Paul Silverthorne viola (supported by Nick & Claire Prettejohn)

Tim Gill cello (supported by Sir Stephen Oliver QC)

Enno Senft double bass (supported by Anthony Mackintosh)

Helen Tunstall Sunday 6 October 2013 6pm harp Constable piano Royal Festival John Hall, Southbank Centre David Hockings percussion Tickets £25, £15 (+ concessions) (supported by Michael Conroy) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Ian Dearden Sound Intermedia (supported by Penny Jonas) Karlheinz Stockhausen Gruppen David Sheppard Sound Intermedia Luigi Nono Canti per 13 (supported by Penny Jonas) Polifonica – Monodia – Ritmica A gift of £1,000 willperformance) support one Karlheinz Stockhausen Gruppen (second of our world-class Principal Players for a Martyn Brabbins conductor season and give you a close connection Baldur Brönnimann conductor with the performing ensemble. Visit Geoffrey Paterson conductor londonsinfonietta.org.uk/pioneers Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Take part in Southbank Centre’s Post-War World weekend: therestisnoise.southbankcentre.co.uk Supported by The Goethe Institute.

Three orchestras, one stage Luigi Nono’s uncompromising post-war meditations on form, silence and timbre form a fitting precursor to one of the pinnacles of the Darmstadt School’s output. A landmark in 20th century composition, Gruppen must be seen and heard to be believed. Stockhausen’s testament to serial composition is scored for three independent orchestras, each with its own conductor, bringing over 100 players together on stage to create a momentous tower of sound.

As the music ebbs and flows, Stockhausen’s kaleidoscopic colours and shifting textures evoke the rise and fall of the Graubünder Alps which were the work’s inspiration. Rarely performed, few other pieces have such a dramatic impact in live performance. #gruppen

Haas: in vain

“How to describe it? An astonishing work of art that has become a cult wherever it is played. One of the first great masterpieces of the 21st century.”

Sir Simon Rattle Friday 6 December 2013 6.45pm Composer Conversation 8pm Main Event Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £20, £10 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Georg Friedrich Haas in vain (London premiere) André de Ridder conductor Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Performed in white light and pitch black Premiered in 2000 and now receiving its much-awaited London premiere, Haas’ in vain is an extraordinary work of contradictions and juxtapositions, exploring a heightened sensory world where darkness and light collide. Written in protest to the rise of the far-right Freedom Party in the 1999 Austrian elections, in vain hints at a frightening world where dark, unnatural forces are at work. As familiar harmonies meet microtonal systems, Haas evokes an otherworldly realm that oscillates between the past and the present, between clarity and dystopia. Performed partly in complete darkness, in vain transforms the concert hall into a mysterious new landscape, where you must trust your ears and relinquish your sight. #invain

The New Music Show Sunday 8 December 2013 from midday Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, Southbank Centre Day tickets £20 (+ concessions) (unreserved seating) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Hidden tours are organised on a first-comefirst-served basis on the day, and are open to day ticket holders only.

Repertoire to include: Simon Steen-Andersen Chambered Music (London premiere) Rebecca Saunders Stirrings (UK premiere) Edmund Finnis Seeing is Flux (world premiere*) Francisco Coll Ad Marginem (world premiere^) New chamber works by: Matthew Kaner, Samantha Fernando, Trystan Rhys Williams, Geoff Hannan New solo works for Hidden by: Aaron Holloway-Nahum, Andrew Thomas, Adam Fergler, Amber Priestley, Gregory Emfietzis Baldur Brönnimann conductor Paul Silverthorne solo viola Sound Intermedia sound projection Tom Service presenter *London Sinfonietta commission supported

by Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner ^London Sinfonietta commission supported by the London Sinfonietta Pioneers Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as Part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Take part in Southbank Centre’s New World Order weekend: therestisnoise.southbankcentre.co.uk

As new as new music gets Our festival-in-a-day returns for another year.

Four sets of new music feature world, UK and London premieres by composers such as Francisco Coll and Edmund Finnis, alongside debates curated by the Royal Philharmonic Society, as part of their Bicentenary celebrations, on what this art form’s future holds. For those of you with a curious mind and adventurous streak, sign up for Hidden on the day, and discover a string of solo world premieres in secret spaces around the site, each curated by students from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. #NMS

On Tour New Music

by Emerging Composers “Writing a work for Hidden was one of the most artistically liberating projects I’ve worked on.”

Bushra El Turk, Writing The Future composer 2012/13 Four composers and sound artists have been invited by the London Sinfonietta and Royal Philharmonic Society to create chamber works for The New Music Show in December, and five others are composing solo pieces for site specific installations around the Our touring projects in 2013/14 include: Queen Elizabeth Hall, curated in collaboration with students at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design; you can hear the results by signing up to a Italy, Milan and Turin – George Benjamin focus – September 2013 Hidden tour on the day. All the compositions are part our Writing Future scheme, which gives young Two concerts at the SettembreMusica festival,ofwith GeorgeTheBenjamin composers time with London Sinfonietta players as conducting his own works and music by Benjamin Britten. they create new music.

Look out for downloads with NMC in the Argentina, Buenos Aires – Luigi Nono: Prometeo – November 2013 run-up to The New Music Show.

Principal Players from the London Sinfonietta will coach emerging Argentinian musicians Supported

by The Boltini Trust, Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner Anthony Mackintosh.150-minute work. and perform with them in a staging of Nono’s and extraordinary

hcmf// – Georg Friedrich Haas: in vain – November 2013 The long-standing annual partnership between the London Sinfonietta and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival continues with the UK premiere of Haas’ cult work, performed in white light and pitch black.

Our partnership with this progressive venue continues with concert TEXT/SMS Support TO 70970 work, university collaborations and schools concerts.

Holland and Norway – Steve

these new works via youron mobile Reich tour

APP/WEB

Example

£5 –LSF001 Spring 2014 USE THE FREE APP:

New music

Southampton, Turner Sims – Artists in Association – April 2014

www.don8.to/LFS001 CAN BE £3, £5 £10 Programmes of music by Steve Reich have theDONATE ensemble performing inOREurope, including Radio Rewrite, Hiddenthe 2012London Sinfonietta co-commission which had its world premiere and UK tour last season.

DONATION AMOUNTS

Your donation is to the National Funding Scheme (registered charity no: 1149800), see www.nationalfundingscheme.org/donor-terms or call 020 3287 0971 for further details.

The New Music Show On Record

Sunday 8 December 2013 from midday Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, The London Sinfonietta’s recordings continue to offer Southbank Centre performances of new music on disc and digital Day tickets £20world-class (+ concessions) download, delivered in partnership with different labels. (unreserved seating) Forthcoming in the 2013/14 season are: Transaction fees may applyreleases (see back cover) Cashian Hidden tours arePhilip organised on a first-comePiano Concerto (contributor) first-served basis on the day, and are open to– NMC Recordings | October 2013 day ticket holders only.

Sinfonietta Shorts Series of digital downloads – NMC Recordings | December 2013 Repertoire to include: Simon Steen-Andersen Chambered Music Dai Fujikura (London premiere) Double Bass Concerto – Signum Records | February 2014 Rebecca Saunders Stirrings (UK premiere) Gudmundsen-Holmgreen Edmund FinnisPelle Seeing is Flux Portrait with Theatre of Voices – DaCapo | March 2014 (world premiere*) Francisco Coll Nicolo Ad Marginem Castiglioni (world premiere^) Previously unissued recordings – Signum | Spring 2014 New chamber works by:Benjamin George Matthew Kaner, Samantha Into the Little Fernando, Hill, conducted by the composer – Nimbus | Spring 2014 Trystan Rhys Williams, Geoff Hannan Larry Goves New solo worksDebut for Hidden disc –by: NMC Recordings | Spring-summer 2014 Aaron Holloway-Nahum, Andrew Thomas, Foskett Adam Fergler, Ben Amber Priestley, As2014 new as new Debut disc (contributor) – NMC Recordings | Summer Gregory Emfietzis Baldur Brönnimann conductor Paul Silverthorne solo viola Sound Intermedia sound projection Tom Service presenter *London Sinfonietta commission supported

by Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner ^London Sinfonietta commission supported by the London Sinfonietta Pioneers

New music

Presented by the London Sinfonietta and Southbank Centre as Part of Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’ book The Rest Is Noise.

Take part in Southbank Centre’s New World Order weekend: therestisnoise.southbankcentre.co.uk

music gets

Our festival-in-a-day returns for another year.

Four sets of new music feature world, UK and London premieres by composers such as Francisco Coll and Edmund Finnis, alongside debates curated by the Royal Philharmonic Society, as part of their Bicentenary celebrations, on what this art form’s future holds. For those of you with a curious mind and adventurous streak, sign up for Hidden on the day, and discover a string of solo world premieres in secret spaces around the site, each curated by students from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. #NMS

On Tour

Our touring projects in 2013/14 include: Italy, Milan and Turin – George Benjamin focus – September 2013 Two concerts at the SettembreMusica festival, with George Benjamin conducting his own works and music by Benjamin Britten.

Argentina, Buenos Aires – Luigi Nono: Prometeo – November 2013 Principal Players from the London Sinfonietta will coach emerging Argentinian musicians and perform with them in a staging of Nono’s extraordinary 150-minute work.

hcmf// – Georg Friedrich Haas: in vain – November 2013 The long-standing annual partnership between the London Sinfonietta and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival continues with the UK premiere of Haas’ cult work, performed in white light and pitch black.

Southampton, Turner Sims – Artists in Association – April 2014 Our partnership with this progressive venue continues with concert work, university collaborations and schools concerts.

Holland and Norway – Steve Reich on tour – Spring 2014 Programmes of music by Steve Reich have the ensemble performing in Europe, including Radio Rewrite, the London Sinfonietta co-commission which had its world premiere and UK tour last season.

Quartet for the End of Time

“Astounding performance of Quartet for the End of Time this evening which left me in tears – bravo and thank you @Ldn_Sinfonietta” @lindsey_dear Friday 21 February 2014 7.30pm Kings Place Tickets £34.50, £27.50, £21.50, £16.50 online Please add £2 per ticket for in-person or phone bookings

Olivier Messiaen La Colombe Plainte Calme Theme and Variations Quartet for the End of Time Part of Kings Place Chamber Classics Unwrapped.

The inspiration for a generation More than half a century since it was premiered, Messiaen’s masterpiece still sounds as fresh and contemporary as it did at its first performance.

Having inspired a new wave of experimental spirituality in music, from composers including Pärt, Górecki and Penderecki, the Quartet’s rippling colours and meditative harmonies are as modern as they are timeless. #endoftime

GudmundsenHolmgreen: Flow My Tears “A fascinating exploration of a unique and compelling musical voice.”

Bachtrack *****

Sunday 2 March 2014 4.45pm Composer Conversation 6pm Main Event Post-concert recital of John Dowland songs performed by Theatre of Voices Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £12 (+ concessions) (unreserved seating) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (all London premieres) Run – Turn II – Song – Play Sound I – Sound II – Company Paul Hillier conductor Theatre of Voices Supported by the Danish Arts Council Committee for Music.

Denmark Calling Two concerts celebrating Danish music in London.

Pioneering new simplicity Pure, elegant and deeply moving, GudmundsenHolmgreen’s music redefines the concept of simplicity. His works are as humorous as they are contemplative, as violent as they are beautiful, exploring music as a timbral rather than narrative art. Strongly influenced by the linear shapes of Renaissance polyphony, his music segues effortlessly into a quote of John Dowland’s Flow My Tears, which brings this programme to a haunting close. With echoes of Samuel Beckett and a strong predilection for the absurd, his taste for near silence will force you to reconsider how you interpret sound. #flowmytears

Steen-Andersen: Black Box Music

Wednesday 12 March 2014 7.30pm Main Event Post-concert Composer Event Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £15 (+ concessions) (unreserved seating) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Simon Steen-Andersen RunTime Error (UK premiere) Christian Winter Christensen String Trio (UK premiere) New Work (world premiere) Rune Glerup Quartettsatz (UK premiere) Fragment (UK premiere) Nicolai Worssae New Work (world premiere) Simon Steen-Andersen Black Box Music (London premiere) Supported by the Danish Arts Council Committee for Music.

Denmark Calling Two concerts celebrating Danish music in London.

New rules The tables are turned in this musical ‘follow the leader’ as the conductor becomes performer and the stage an instrument in the London premiere of Simon Steen-Andersen’s quirky and experimental work, Black Box Music. Using a live video projection of the conductor’s gestures in a black box to direct three sets of performers around the concert hall, Black Box Music treads a fine line between music and contemporary sound art. Who is leading whom? Or is there even a ‘leader’ at all? In the first half, works by the best emerging Danish composers are interlaced with Steen-Andersen’s extraordinary video performance work RunTime Error. #blackboxmusic

Van der Aa: Here

“One of the most valuable trips I have attended with our students, reinforcing the teaching in school in a positive and engaging way. The students were buzzing about it on the train home and even treated the commuters to a rendition of ‘Clapping Music’!”

Wednesday 30 April 2014 Claire Marris, Thamesmead School Composer Conversation (Steve6.15pm Reich Secondary Schools Concert, March 2013) 7.30pm Main Event Primary Schools Concert Key Stage 2Centre Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Wednesday 29 January Tickets £20, £10 (+ concessions) Queen Elizabethfees Hall,may Southbank Transaction apply (seeCentre back cover) Secondary Schools Concert Key Stages 3 and 4 Michel van der Aa Wednesday Memo 12 for March violin & portable cassette recorder Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Clarinet Concerto (world premiere*) Trilogy (UKapremiere complete work) Led byHere Fraser Trainer, range of ofcontemporary repertoire will provide ideas about composition Baldur Brönnimann conductor for teachers and students.

The Secondary Schools Claron McFadden soprano Concert a performance of part of Black Markwill vanfeature de Wiel clarinet BoxSound Music by guest composer Simon Steen-Andersen.

Intermedia sound design *Co-commissioned by the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble musikFabrik and Kari Kriikku, and supported by the London Sinfonietta Pioneers.

Secondary Schools Concert 2013

New Music for the Next Generation The LondonASinfonietta launches its Schools theatre of the imagination Collective, a programme which will train teachers and commission new music for school groups A black plexiglass cabin, spotlit on an empty and from school pupils. Working with living an anonymous female figure; a tape composers stage; and London Sinfonietta musicians, the shuffling the soundtrack; and just programmerecorder begins with school partnerships in Camden and Islington, and willchords. extend toThese schoolsare the bare eleven repeated in the Southampton area asthat partmake of the up ensemble’s components Van der Aa’s intriguing, Associate Artists status atand Turner Sims. Here Trilogy, receiving compelling complete For more information contact With echoes of the spatial its UK premiere. shoubhik.bandopadhyay@londonsinfonietta.org.uk manipulation in the works of Escher, combining or visit londonsinfonietta.org.uk/schools-concerts electric and natural sounds, Here Trilogy explores

the clash between the individual and their everyday surroundings, creating a haunting sense of paralysis, separation and isolation. The programme also features the world premiere of a new clarinet concerto by Van der Aa, cocommissioned by the London Sinfonietta. #heretrilogy

Take part

Concerts for Schools

Steen-Andersen: Black Box Music Develop a Digital Fascination with New Music

London Sinfonietta Composer Playlists Hear what is in the head of composers working today: our Composer Playlists are a snapshot of the musical fascinations of the artists who are writing music in our season. We are also inviting you to submit your own playlists, which we will feature during the season.

London Sinfonietta Listening Club A chance to develop your knowledge and broaden your listening with this regular feature, composer and teacher Philip Cashian (Head of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music) will be your host for a new Listening Club, run via the London Sinfonietta blog.

He will introduce music we are playing in our season with an audio-illustrated article, then answer your questions and respond to your opinions. Join in.

Join our Listening Club and hear the entirety of Michel van der Aa’s playlist at: londonsinfonietta.wordpress.com Wednesday 12 March 2014 7.30pm Main Event Post-concert Composer Event Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £15 (+ concessions) (unreserved seating) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover)

Take part

Simon Steen-Andersen RunTime Error (UK premiere) Christian Winter Christensen String Trio (UK premiere) New Work (world premiere) Rune Glerup Quartettsatz (UK premiere) Fragment (UK premiere) Nicolai Worssae New Work (world premiere) Simon Steen-Andersen Black Box Music (London premiere) Supported by the Danish Arts Council Committee for Music.

Denmark Calling Two concerts celebrating Danish music in London.

Michel van der Aa “I’m a real music omnivore and my playlists are in constant flux. Here’s what I’m listening to now – summer 2013 – in random order:” Michael Beil Exit to Enter “German composer, makes wonderful theatrical works with live video.”

Atoms for Peace Amok “I pretty much love everything Thom Yorke produces.”

These New Puritans Field of Reeds “Jack Bartnett and his band are pushing boundaries.

I collaborated with him on the track ‘The Light in your Name’.”

Jean-Guihen Queyras Bach Cello Suites “I’m slightly obsessed with Jean-Guiden’s ‘Cello Suites’ recording right now.”

New rules

The tables are turned in this musical ‘follow the leader’ as the conductor becomes performer and the stage an instrument in the London premiere of Simon Steen-Andersen’s quirky and experimental work, Black Box Music. Using a live video projection of the conductor’s gestures in a black box to direct three sets of performers around the concert hall, Black Box Music treads a fine line between music and contemporary sound art. Who is leading whom? Or is there even a ‘leader’ at all? In the first half, works by the best emerging Danish composers are interlaced with Steen-Andersen’s extraordinary video performance work RunTime Error. #blackboxmusic

Van der Aa: Here

A theatre of the imagination Wednesday 30 April 2014 6.15pm Composer Conversation 7.30pm Main Event Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets £20, £10 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Michel van der Aa Memo for violin & portable cassette recorder Clarinet Concerto (world premiere*) Here Trilogy (UK premiere of complete work) Baldur Brönnimann conductor Claron McFadden soprano Mark van de Wiel clarinet Sound Intermedia sound design *Co-commissioned by the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble musikFabrik and Kari Kriikku, and supported by the London Sinfonietta Pioneers.

A black plexiglass cabin, spotlit on an empty stage; an anonymous female figure; a tape recorder shuffling the soundtrack; and just eleven repeated chords. These are the bare components that make up Van der Aa’s intriguing, compelling and complete Here Trilogy, receiving its UK premiere. With echoes of the spatial manipulation in the works of Escher, combining electric and natural sounds, Here Trilogy explores the clash between the individual and their everyday surroundings, creating a haunting sense of paralysis, separation and isolation. The programme also features the world premiere of a new clarinet concerto by Van der Aa, cocommissioned by the London Sinfonietta. #heretrilogy

Music Danced

Three composers Three choreographers Three sets

Project led by Kim Brandstrup, Oliver Coates

Music and movement come together in three carefully crafted sets – an expression of the art of movement and the form of music. Composers and choreographers will explore their practice together, and create new work in the intersection that satisfies both the eyes and the ears.

Part of Blue Touch Paper

#musicdanced

Tuesday 13 May 2014 8pm Main Event Post-concert Artists Conversation Southbank Centre Booking opens autumn 2013

New Work Night Pioneers We make new music. You make new music happen.

From famous names to emerging composers, new music is waiting to be written and you can be the catalyst to realising it.

Pioneers are vital to the success of the London Sinfonietta and enjoy a close relationship with the ensemble. Support our world-class Principal Players and Emerging Artists or put yourself at the forefront of new music and help fund works by composers such as: Michel van der Aa Sir Harrison Birtwistle Edmund Finnis Francisco Coll Mica Levi Choose from three levels of membership starting at just £35 per year (less than £3 per month).

Contact claire.barton@londonsinfonietta.org.uk or visit londonsinfonietta.org.uk/pioneers

Lighting the fuse on new work

Part of Blue Touch Paper

#newworknight

Wednesday 21 May 2014 7.30pm Main Event Post-concert Critical Response Village Underground Tickets are free but public ticket availability is limited.

New music

Eventbrite booking opens Tuesday 1 April 2014

A night of new music made in collaboration with other art forms. The Blue Touch Paper programme provides composers and artists with support to develop ideas, and time with London Sinfonietta musicians to try them out. Tonight, three cross-art-form pieces are presented as work-in-progress – versions of what may become expanded works in future seasons.

Audience feedback that helps shape the future development of each work is curated in a postconcert ‘Critical Response’ discussion.

Music Danced Blue Touch Paper “Making ‘Gallup Memo’ with the London Sinfonietta on their Blue Touch Paper programme allowed me to create a piece of radio-theatre with a truly compatible director – something I had wanted to do for a long time.”

Edward Jessen, Blue Touch Paper composer 2012/13 Blue Touch Paper nurtures new interdisciplinary projects by providing composers and artists with funding and time to make cross-art-form work with London Sinfonietta musicians. UK partners are found to support the further development, completion and presentation of that work. From next season, Blue Touch Paper will evolve into a wider-ranging lab for new music experiments, and 2013/14 will include: New Work Night The preview of three interdisciplinary works-inprogress, developed over the past year with support from a Jerwood bursary, and which will evolve further as a result of audience feedback given at this event.

Music Danced A close collaboration between composers and choreographers to create dance for new music and new music for dance.

CoCurate The development of a digital interface where the public can contribute music, art and ideas to creatively shape an event before, during and after it happens.

A partnership with Kingston University supported by Creativeworks London.

Hands-on Sound An exploration of motion capture and advanced game controllers to shape electroacoustic sound in live music performance. A PhD studentship in partnership with Southampton University, supported by the AHRC. Contact info@londonsinfonietta.org.uk for more information about these projects.

Supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

Three composers Three choreographers Three sets

Project led by Kim Brandstrup, Oliver Coates

Music and movement come together in three carefully crafted sets – an expression of the art of movement and the form of music. Composers and choreographers will explore their practice together, and create new work in the intersection that satisfies both the eyes and the ears.

Part of Blue Touch Paper

#musicdanced

New music

Tuesday 13 May 2014 8pm Main Event Post-concert Artists Conversation Southbank Centre Booking opens autumn 2013

Blue Touch Paper 2012/13

New Work Night

Lighting the fuse on new work

Eventbrite booking opens Tuesday 1 April 2014

A night of new music made in collaboration with other art forms. The Blue Touch Paper programme provides composers and artists with support to develop ideas, and time with London Sinfonietta musicians to try them out. Tonight, three cross-art-form pieces are presented as work-in-progress – versions of what may become expanded works in future seasons.

Audience feedback that helps shape the future development of each work is curated in a postconcert ‘Critical Response’ discussion.

Part of Blue Touch Paper

#newworknight

Wednesday 21 May 2014 7.30pm Main Event Post-concert Critical Response Village Underground Tickets are free but public ticket availability is limited.

Assemble: Music with People

Assemble to make new music Saturday 7 June 2014 Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets from ÂŁ5 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Booking opens autumn 2013 Programme to include: KX Collective New set Louis Andriessen Workers Union Frederic Rzewski Les Moutons de Panurge

New music made with you: the London Sinfonietta collaborates with the public as performers and creators. An open call will invite participants to perform alongside the ensemble in classic and new works for public involvement. Submissions of video, sound and music will also be needed as raw material for new works in the event. #assemble

Musicians of Tomorrow KX Collective The KX Collective is a dynamic group of young people from the King’s Cross area who have a passion for exploring, creating and performing new music.

Working closely with the London Sinfonietta’s Principal Players and associate artists they produce an annual programme of original public performances.

Friday 1 November 2013 – The Forge, Camden Wednesday 12 March 2014 – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre (as part of the Secondary Schools Concert) Saturday 7 June 2014 – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre (as part of Assemble: Music with People) For more information contact shoubhik.bandopadhyay@londonsinfonietta.org.uk or visit londonsinfonietta.org.uk/kx-collective Supported by City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust.

London Sinfonietta Academy final performance

Programme to be announced

#LSAcademy

Take part

Sunday 13 July 2014 7.30pm LSO St Luke’s Booking opens early 2014

An end-of-season celebration as some of the best young musicians of their generation (auditioned from colleges across the UK) form an ensemble to rehearse and perform new music repertoire and commissions. Coached by London Sinfonietta Principal Players, this event is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to experience visceral and exciting performances of contemporary music by the musicians of tomorrow.

Assemble: Music with People London Sinfonietta Academy Training the musicians of tomorrow to play the music of today The London Sinfonietta Academy reaches its sixth year, providing a unique opportunity for talented players at the beginning of their professional careers to benefit by playing new music with the guidance of London Sinfonietta Principal Players. The project this year involves closer work with composers and sound artists on electronic music and sound diffusion with Principal Players Sound Intermedia.

The week-long course starts on Monday 7 July 2014 and culminates in a final public performance.

Auditions take place in early 2014.

Contact tina.speed@londonsinfonietta.org.uk or visit londonsinfonietta.org.uk/london-sinfonietta-academy Supported by EsmĂŠe Fairbairn Foundation and The Leverhulme Trust.

Assemble to make new music

Take part

Saturday 7 June 2014 Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Tickets from ÂŁ5 (+ concessions) Transaction fees may apply (see back cover) Booking opens autumn 2013 Programme to include: KX Collective New set Louis Andriessen Workers Union Frederic Rzewski Les Moutons de Panurge

New music made with you: the London Sinfonietta collaborates with the public as performers and creators. An open call will invite participants to perform alongside the ensemble in classic and new works for public involvement. Submissions of video, sound and music will also be needed as raw material for new works in the event. #assemble

London Sinfonietta Academy 2013

Musicians of Tomorrow

London Sinfonietta Academy final performance

Sunday 13 July 2014 7.30pm LSO St Luke’s Booking opens early 2014

An end-of-season celebration as some of the best young musicians of their generation (auditioned from colleges across the UK) form an ensemble to rehearse and perform new music repertoire and commissions. Coached by London Sinfonietta Principal Players, this event is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to experience visceral and exciting performances of contemporary music by the musicians of tomorrow.

Programme to be announced

#LSAcademy

Francesconi: Quartett

Staring into the abyss Wednesday 18 – Saturday 28 June 2014 Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House Tickets £40, £35, £25, £12.50 (+ concessions) Booking opens Tuesday 18 March 2014 Luca Francesconi Quartett (UK premiere) Andrew Gourlay conductor John Fulljames director Soutra Gilmour set and costume design Ravi Deprees video design Sound Intermedia sound projection Co-production between the Royal Opera House, London Sinfonietta and Opera de Rouen.

This new staging of Francesconi’s Quartett is the second of two major music theatre collaborations that bookend our season. Based on Heiner Müller’s acclaimed stage version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, two lovers find themselves trapped in a bitter power battle that will eventually tear them apart. Francesconi’s intense tale of love, heartbreak and obsessive manipulation exposes the raw, primeval foundations that lurk beneath all our carefully manicured lives. #ROHquartett

Trusts and Foundations London Sinfonietta would like to thank the following organisations, which have supported us over the last year: Arts Council England The Aaron Copland Fund for Music The Angus Allnatt Charitable Trust The Boltini Trust The British Council The Britten-Pears Foundation The Derek Butler Trust The City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Columbia Foundation Fund of the London Community Foundation The Ernest Cook Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The John Ellerman Foundation Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Fenton Arts Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity Lord Harewood’s Charitable Settlement The Holst Foundation Jerwood Charitable Foundation The Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation The Leche Trust The Leverhulme Trust The Marple Charitable Trust Musicians Benevolent Fund PRS for Music Foundation RVW Trust The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation Youth Music London Sinfonietta Honorary Patrons John Bird Sir Harrison Birtwistle Alfred Brendel KBE Sir George Christie CH Lead Pioneers Sir Richard Arnold Trevor Cook Susan Grollet in memory of Mark Grollet Leo and Regina Hepner Penny Jonas Anthony Mackintosh Belinda Matthews Robert & Nicola McFarland Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner Andrew Mitchell Sir Stephen Oliver QC Nick & Claire Prettejohn Richard Thomas & Caroline Cowie Paul & Sybella Zisman Creative Pioneers Ian Baker Andrew Burke Robert Clark Jeremy & Yvonne Clarke Rachel Coldicutt Susan Costello Anton Cox Dennis Davis Patrick Hall Nicolas Hodgson Andrew Hunt Frank & Linda Jeffs Alana Lowe-Petraske Stephen Morris Julie Nicholls Simon Osborne Patricia O’Sullivan Ruth Rattenbury Lord Stevenson of Coddenham Iain Stewart Anne Stoddart Sally Taylor Barry Tennison David & Jenni Wake Walker Fenella Warden Estela Welldon John Wheatley Jane Williams Stephen Williamson Michelle Wright Plus those generous Lead and Creative Pioneers who prefer to remain anonymous. Thanks also to the London Sinfonietta Pioneers.

London Sinfonietta Council Paul Zisman Chairman Andrew Burke Rachel Coldicutt Ian Dearden David Hockings Penny Jonas Alana Lowe-Petraske Belinda Matthews Philip Meaden Sir Stephen Oliver QC Matthew Pike Paul Silverthorne Sally Taylor Elizabeth Davies Company Secretary London Sinfonietta Staff Andrew Burke Chief Executive Sarah Tennant Head of Concert Production Natalie Marchant Concerts & Touring Administrator Tina Speed Participation & Learning Manager Shoubhik Bandopadhyay Participation & Learning Assistant Claire Barton Development Manager Amy Forshaw Marketing Manager Claire Lampon Marketing & Development Assistant Elizabeth Davies Head of Administration & Finance James Joslin Administrative Assistant Viktoria Mark Finance Assistant Mark Prentice-Whitney Projects Intern (Surrey University Professional Training Placement) Freelance and Consultant Staff Hal Hutchison Concert Manager Lesley Wynne Orchestra Personnel Manager Tony Simpson Lighting Designer Michelle Wright for Cause4 Fundraising Consultant Julie Nicholls Consultant Accountant sounduk Public Relations Fraser Trainer KX Collective Musical Director Paul Griffiths KX Collective Musical Director The London Sinfonietta is grateful to its accountants Martin Greene Ravden LLP and its auditors MGR Audit Limited for their ongoing support. The London Sinfonietta is proud to be supported and broadcast by BBC Radio 3. For full details of programmes and broadcasts visit bbc.co.uk/radio3

2013/14 Events Neuwirth: American Lulu

Booking Information

Britten and Postal Pieces

Southbank Centre 0844 847 9940 southbankcentre.co.uk

Stockhausen: Gruppen

No transaction fees for Southbank Centre Members and Supporters, or in-person bookings. For online bookings: £1.75.

For phone bookings: £2.75.

Friday 13 – Tuesday 24 September 2013, Young Vic Sunday 15 September 2013, Kings Place Sunday 6 October 2013, Royal Festival Hall

Haas: in vain

Friday 6 December 2013, Queen Elizabeth Hall

The New Music Show

Sunday 8 December 2013, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room

Quartet for the End of Time Friday 21 February 2014, Kings Place

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Flow My Tears

Sunday 2 March 2014, Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall

Steen-Andersen: Black Box Music

Wednesday 12 March 2014, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Van der Aa: Here

Wednesday 30 April 2014, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Music Danced

Tuesday 13 May 2014, Southbank Centre

New Work Night

Wednesday 21 May 2014, Village Underground

Assemble: Music with People

£5 student tickets and £6.50 under-26 tickets are available for all our Southbank Centre concerts.

Young Vic 020 7922 2922 youngvic.org For tickets posted in advance: 75p.

Kings Place 020 7520 1490 kingsplace.co.uk Royal Opera House 020 7304 4000 roh.org.uk Contact us London Sinfonietta Kings Place, 90 York Way London, N1 9AG info@londonsinfonietta.org.uk T 020 7239 9340 F 020 7239 9369 Sinfonietta Productions Ltd Registered in England No. 926551 Registered Charity No. 255095

Saturday 7 June 2014, Queen Elizabeth Hall

All information was correct at time of going to press.

The London Sinfonietta reserves the right to make changes where necessary.

Francesconi: Quartett

Brochure design harrisonandco.com

Wednesday 18 – Saturday 28 June 2014, Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House

Musicians of Tomorrow

Sunday 13 July 2014, LSO St Luke’s

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