»Greatest Hits« Opening Concert
Klangforum Wien / Peter Eötvös
»I write music for people to listen to, not as a learned exercise,« remarked Hungarian composer Peter Eötvös when speaking about himself and his music. And that’s something that can be heard in the best sense of the word: his operas and instrumental works boast catchy melodies and a sensuous sound, and meet with an enthusiastic reception not only in the contemporary music scene.
Although Eötvös once worked together with famous colleagues like Stockhausen and Boulez, he never joined a particular musical school or trend, preferring to develop his own individual and authentic style. He seeks and finds direct contact with audiences as a conductor, too: for the big portrait concert that opens the Greatest Hits festival, he takes the rostrum in person.
»Chinese Opera«, composed in 1986, is a purely orchestral piece, it’s true; but its range of timbre make it »an opera to see with your ears« (Peter Szendy). The work preceded in this concert by »Shadows«, a double concerto for flute and clarinet, and a »Sonata« for two pianos, keyboard and percussion.
From 1 to 4 November, the »Greatest Hits« festival presents contemporary music at Kampnagel and the Elbphilharmonie. The focus this year is on the composers Gérard Grisey und Harry Partch. The latter was a contemporary of Arnold Schönberg and Aaron Copland; in the desert near San Diego Partch developed his own tuning system with home-made instruments which feature in many of the festival concerts.
Performers
Klangforum Wien
Vera Fischer flute
Olivier Vivarès clarinet
Peter Böhm sound
Markus Urban sound
conductor Peter Eötvös
Programme
Peter Eötvös
Shadows (Fassung von 2015)
– Interval –
Festival
Greatest Hits