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Kennedy Center Features Works by Oliver Knussen, Julian Anderson and Mark-Anthony Turnage

May. 04, 2009

This month, from May 1 through 10, the Kennedy Center plays host to an assortment of new music events in its contemporary music series Cross Currents. Curated by Oliver Knussen and Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Fortas Chamber Music Concerts Joseph Kalichstein, Cross Currents presents 17 orchestral, chamber orchestra, and chamber music events celebrating 15 of today's finest living composers. With concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra and ensembles presented by the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts and the Millennium Stage, the week showcases predominantly British and American composers. The National Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Oliver Knussen, perform Knussen's Violin Concerto and fellow Faber composer Julian Anderson's Imagin'd Corners on May 7, 8 and 9. The National Symphony Orchestra welcomes Leila Josefowicz on stage for their performance of the concerto, composed in 2001 for Pinchas Zukerman. Though composed in three movements of Recitative, Aria and Gigue, the concerto possesses an expressive world, in the composer's words, "at odds with expectations thus suggested by the classical associations with these movement titles." He continues:

At times the violinist resembles a tightrope walker progressing along a (decidedly unstable) high wire strung across the span that separates the opening and closing sounds of the piece.

In the same program, Knussen leads the NSO through Julian Anderson's Imagin'd Corners for orchestra and five obbligato horns. Commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Sakari Oramo, Imagin'd Corners allows Anderson the opportunity to exploit the variety of playing styles and sounds of the horn, an instrument for which the composer has particular affection. Paying homage to Grisey with a harmonic framework using overtones series, Imagin'd Corners also plays on the effect of physical space with one horn seated at the rear of the center stage and the other four horns mobile, appearing in varying arrangements for each different character of the work.

Closing out Cross Currents on May 10 at the Kennedy Center, Oliver Knussen and conductor Brad Lubman lead a chamber ensemble of NSO musicians in a program which includes Knussen's Requiem–Songs for Sue, Julian Anderson's Alhambra Fantasy and Mark-Anthony Turnage's Dark Crossing. In addition, on May 23 Knussen leads The Cleveland Orchestra through Requiem–Songs for Sue and Anderson's Imagin'd Corners.

For more on the music of Oliver Knussen and Julian Anderson, visit www.fabermusic.com.

Learn more on Cross Currents at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org.

Oliver Knussen
Violin Concerto (2002)
for violin and orchestra
3.1.ca.2.1.cbsn–3.2.2.0–timp.2perc–hp.pno(cel)–str
17'

Requiem-Songs for Sue (2005-6)
for soprano and ensemble
fl, afl, ob, cl, bcl, 2hn, hp, pno, perc, 2va, 2vc, db
12'

Julian Anderson
Imagin'd Corners (2002)
for orchestra
3(2,3.pic).2(3.ca).3.3(3.cbsn)–5.3.3.1–timp.4perc–hp.pno(cel)–str
12'

Alhambra Fantasy (1999-2000)
for chamber ensemble
1(pic).1.1(bcl).1(cbsn)–1.1.1.0–2perc–hp.pno(cel)–2vn.va.vc.db
15'

Mark-Anthony Turnage
Dark Crossing (2000)
for chamber orchestra
2(1.pic,2.afl).1(ca).1(bcl).bcl(cbcl).ssax(asax).1(cbsn)–
2.1(flugelhn).1(euph,btbn).0–2perc–hp.pno(cel)–str
20'

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