# Music here and now



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I am curious.....

This forum is riddled with anecdotes, facts and opinions about the past with very very few threads about the things in music happening right now and right at your doorstep. Who are the current local composers of your country? What new music festivals an ensembles are based where you live? What premieres or new works have you seen/heard that have only been around within the last year?

A few from Melbourne, Australia (where I live): 
Two leading Australian composers I have had the pleasure to witness first performances of new works last year were Paul Stanhope (composed a wonderful piccolo concerto which I heard performed by Andrew Macleod and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) and Brett Dean (composed an incredible concerto for 6 string electric violin and string orchestra performed by Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra). This year Brett Dean will be the composer in residence for the Australian National Academy of Music, the students there will be performing many works of his in the upcoming months. 

Victorian Opera, based in Melbourne and does tours to regional Victoria, has premiered a new opera every year since the company's foundation in (I think) 2005. I don't think I'll go this year though, but a promising new work by Iain Grandage called "The Riders" will be first performed on the 23rd of September this year. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra each year holds their own mini-festival called the "Metropolis New Music Festival" which I am keen on going to this year. Last year I think the composer in residence was Steve Reich but I would have to look it up again. This year it's Olli Mustonen who will have his Sonata for Violin and Orchestra given the world premiere among other works of his on each of the three nights in April. The MSO also will be playing on two of those nights a new work commissioned as part of the MSO's Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program. 

Australia's leading new music ensemble is ELISION Ensemble. It is comprised of 20 musicians playing a mixture of acoustic and electronic instruments. They have performed much new music by Australian composers and other international composers (over 100 composers are listed in their repertoire) and have performed in new music festivals across the globe. Another ensemble specialising in new music and have given premieres of many works is Speak Percussion. In addition to solo and ensemble percussion works they have performed with Victorian Opera in the Australian premiere of Carter's opera "What Next?"

Well that's all I can think of for the moment. What are the new things going on in your countries?


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Here in Vancouver there will be a new music festival in 10 days (Jan 17-20), Brett Dean will be the featured composer, plus others. Four nights in a row.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Most not so "new". Coming up in seven days at Disney Hall:

Poulenc: Trio 
Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 1 
Krausas: Sillages 
Bartók: String Quartet No. 4

And in two weeks, a more local concert I have just got tickets for -- Vladimir Feltsman.

Haydn – Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Hob. XVI:46
Schubert – Sonata in A minor, D. 537
Liszt – Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S. 171
Liszt – Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude (from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173)
Scriabin – Vers la flamme (Poème), Op. 72


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

senza sordino said:


> Here in Vancouver there will be a new music festival in 10 days (Jan 17-20), Brett Dean will be the featured composer, plus others. Four nights in a row.


Are you going? What works are being performed?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

KenOC said:


> Coming up in seven days at Disney Hall:
> 
> Poulenc: Trio
> Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 1
> ...





Veronika Krausas said:


> sillages
> 
> Tuesday January 14, 2014
> 8pm
> ...


Is it a new work?


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

Warsaw Autumn Festival is based in National Philharmony, Warsaw, Poland. I have never been to any Warsaw Autumn concert yet, however. 

Best regards, Dr


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I've posted this link in another thread

Living Sounds with Richard Danielpour, composer








This is on the campus of my day job. I don't know how new or exciting it will be or what you folks think of Danielpour. I like his work though it's so accessible, it's probably considered drivel by many. The article doesn't say if Danilepour will actually be in attendance, but he evidently was over the past year or so and I knew nothing about it. Though these will be student works, I'm definitely marking my calendar.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Are you going? What works are being performed?


I probably will not attend, I can't see and do it all. Downtown Vancouver is a bit of a trip for me, especially late at night on a work night. I'll be attending other concerts, but not this one.

http://www.vancouversymphony.ca/festivals/13NMF/


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Here in South Africa, one Hendrik Hofmeyr seems to be making a bit of a splash. Alas, I cannot really afford to either attend concerts or buy CDs. I do have a CD with some works by him, notably a flute concerto and a piano concerto, both of which are pretty good stuff. I especially like the flute concerto.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

senza sordino said:


> I probably will not attend, I can't see and do it all. Downtown Vancouver is a bit of a trip for me, especially late at night on a work night. I'll be attending other concerts, but not this one.
> 
> http://www.vancouversymphony.ca/festivals/13NMF/


 I wish I was in Vancouver!


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## Fried fifer (Dec 14, 2013)

The most local source for classical music around here is the Claremont college's which have excellent weekly free concerts that I've been attending for a while. I've seen two premieres there both played by Genevieve Feiwen Lee. One of the pieces was "Hard, Hard, Hard!"(2011) for voice and toy ensemble by Ge Gan-ru. It was incredible to see performed live. The piece really went through the story and emotions vividly. 
The other was just two months ago a piece for solo piano by the name of "Five Reactions"(2013) by Karl Kohn. A very interesting modern piece that I quite liked. I overheard an elderly couple say something along the lines of "The Couperin and Beethoven were excellent but she really lost me on those other two." after the performance.(the other piece was Coplands Piano Variations) Which I thought was rather funny and fitting.


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