›contempo primo‹

Under the name ›contempo primo‹, the Ensemble Modern (EM), the Siemens Foundation and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing jointly offered master classes in contemporary ensemble playing. Together with the guest conductor Kasper de Roo, the EM musicians as tutors taught Chinese instrumentalists in several working phases between August2010 and May 2011, with the aim of creating the first ensemble for contemporary music in China. Following its successful inaugural concert in May 2011, the newly founded Ensemble ConTempo has now been invited to play at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (SHMF) which this year is focusing on China to mark the Year of Chinese Culture in Germany.

The SHMF offers an extensive programme on 11th and 12th August 2012 in Lübeck and Hamburg with Ensemble Modern and Ensemble ConTempo: In the first part of the concert the Ensemble Con- Tempo will focus on New Music in China and will premiere the three award-winning compositions from the Chinese-German composition competition ›ConTempo‹. The winner of the 1st prize is also awarded the 2012 Paul Hindemith Prize. As a counterpoint to this first part, afterwards music from the U.S. will be hard. Initially, in the second part, both Ensembles will play John Cage’s ›Atlas Eclipticalis‹, and finally, the EM will perform further pieces by the American composers John Adams and Steve Reich. The EM spoke to the initiator of the ›contempo primo‹ project, Jens Cording, from the Siemens Foundation, Prof. Rolf Beck, director of the SHMF, and Kasper de Roo about the situation of New Music in China and the beginnings of the ›contempo primo‹ project.

Dates:
11. August, 16 Uhr
Lübeck, Musikhochschule Lübeck
12. August, 19 Uhr
Hamburg, NDR, Rolf-Liebermann-Studio
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
Moderne im Dialog – Konzert in 3 Teilen:
1) Ensemble ConTempo Beijing:
Paul Hindemith: Kammermusik Nr. 1 für zwölf
Solo-Instrumente op. 24 (1922)
Guo Wenjing: Capriccio für Zheng und Ensemble (2011)
Jia Guoping: Whispers of a gentle wind für Pipa, Zheng,
Banhu und Sheng (2011)
Wang Ruiqi: The Legend of Kua Fu (2012) (nur in Lübeck)
Rao Pengcheng: The ambition & voice (2011) (nur in Lübeck)
Li Bo: Mondlicht – Stadtmauer – Prosadichtung – Kammermusik
für elf Instrumente (2011) (nur in Hamburg)
2) Ensemble Modern & Ensemble ConTempo Beijing:
John Cage: Atlas Eclipticalis (1961/62)
3) Ensemble Modern:
John Adams: Chamber Symphony (1992)
Steve Reich: Double Sextet for ensemble (2007)
Steve Reich: City Life (1995)
Kasper de Roo, Dirigent
Norbert Ommer, Klangregie

Das Ensemble ConTempo Beijing ist hervorgegangen aus ›contempo primo‹, einem Ensembleprojekt des Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, und der Siemens Stiftung, in Zusammenarbeit mit der Internationalen Ensemble Modern Akademie.