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Wolfgang Rihm at 60

Jan. 10, 2012

Wolfgang Rihm at 60

Wolfgang Rihm, one of today's most prolific composers, receives a royal celebration in London this month. 2012 marks Rihm's 60th birthday year, and in preparation, the London Sinfonietta, directed by Thierry Fischer, presents a concert reflecting the composer's vast achievements. Wolfgang Rihm at 60, which takes place at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on January 24, features three UK premieres by Rihm as well as music by Jörg Widmann and Rebecca Saunders. The Guardian's Tom Service writes, "Rihm's music seems to flow from him in a constant stream of unstoppable creativity. He has written more than 400 pieces in every genre you can think of –and some you definitely can't, since Rihm invented them."

The London Sinfonietta's program, which features Rihm's Nach-Schrift (Eine Chiffre) and Will Sound More Again both for large ensemble, as well as Ricercare- Music in Memoriam Luigi Nono for 14 players, reflects the broad scope of Rihm's compositional language.

Of the programming, the London Sinfonietta comments:

Nach-Schrift of 2004 is connected to his earlier ‘chiffre’ cycle from the 1980’s and Will Sound More Again is a recently extended and reworked version of a piece from 2006, full of energy and immediate appeal. Rihm’s music in this concert is set against that of two of his most celebrated pupils–Rebecca Saunders’ haunting Quartet and Jörg Widmann’s Dubairische Tänze, a set of dances with echoes of the composer’s native Bavaria, colored by his inventive compositional voice.

Rihm will also be celebrated this month at the Biennale de Quatuors à Cordes presented by the Cité de la Musique in Paris, France. This festival features several of today's leading quartets including the Arditti, Kronos, Tokyo, and Takács, performing Rihm's complete works for string quartet, January 14-22.

For more information on the London Sinfonietta program, visit
ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk.

View Wolfgang Rihm's composer profile at
www.universaledition.com.

Further information on the Biennale de Quatuors à Cordes can be found at
www.citedelamusique.fr.

Wolfgang Rihm
Nach-Schrift (Eine Chiffre) (1982/2004)
for ensemble
1.1.1(bcl).1-1.2.1.0-2perc.pno-str
10'

Will Sound More Again (2005/2011)
for ensemble
1(pic).1(ca).0(cbsn).asax(cl).tsax(bcl)-1.2.1.1-2perc(3).hp.acc.pno-vn.va.vc.db
18'

Ricercare (1990)
Music in memoriam Luigi Nono
for 14 players
0.0.bcl.cbsn-1.1.cbtbn.0-2perc.pno.2vn.va.2vc.db
9' 

Jörg Widmann
Dubairische Tänze (2009)
for ensemble
1(pic).1.2(1.ebcl, 2.bcl).1(cbsn)-1.2.0.1(tbn)-2perc-str 
18'
 

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