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Stefan Prins' Madness Machines Premiered at Donaueschingen Music Days 2026

Oct. 29, 2026

On October 16, the SWR Symphony Orchestra together with the SWR Experimentalstudio under the direction of Brad Lubman, performed the world premiere of Stefan Prins' Madness Machines as part of Donaueschingen Music Days 2026.

“Prins transforms the ‘madness’ of today’s uncontrollable chaos into an artistic principle.”

This description by the Donaueschingen Music Days offers a revealing entry point into Madness Machines. It also reflects a recurring concern in the work of Stefan Prins: the investigation of technological systems, social dynamics and the shifting boundaries of control.  

Born in Belgium in 1979, Prins belongs to a generation of composers for whom digital technologies are not merely tools but integral artistic subjects. His work frequently operates at the intersections of instrumental performance, electronics and multimedia practices.  

Prins notes:
"If there’s one recurring word that I think of when describing the current world we inhabit, it’s ‘madness.' The rapidly deteriorating ecosystems. The wars in Ukraine, Iran, Sudan. The upswing of populism worldwide. The current US government. The incredible speed at which technology (AI!) is changing how we interface with reality, each other and the world. Madness! Madness Machines is an attempt at control ling the uncontrollable. It explodes, implodes, grows, breaks, stretches and contracts, as a techno-organic, self-conscious machine, always ready to lose control."

Listen to Prins' under_current (2021-22) for electric guitar & orchestra:

Stefan Prins/under_current/Yaron Deutsch, electric guitar/Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra/Ilan Volkov, conductor

To learn more about Stefan Prins, visit schott-music.com.

Stefan Prins
Madness Machines (2026)
for orchestra and electronics
3(1.afl;2,3.pic.bfl).2.3h.ebcl.1.bcl.2.cbn-4.3.3.1-timp-2perc-egtr-hp-acc-pno-str
25'

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