Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY | Sir George Benjamin

https://www.lucernefestival.ch/en/program/ensemble-of-the-lucerne-festival-academy-sir-george-benjamin/1134

Ensemble of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY   Sir George Benjamin  conductor George Benjamin (*1960) At First Light for chamber orchestra

Wolfgang Rihm (*1952) Jagden und Formen for orchestra 2008 version

Sir George Benjamin made his international breakthrough in 1982 with his ensemble piece At First Light, inspired by William Turner. In Turner’s painting Norham Castle, Sunrise, “solid objects virtually appear to have melted under the intense sunlight. It is as if the paint were still wet. Abstractly, this observation has been important to the way I have composed the piece. A ‘solid object’ can be formed as a punctuated, clearly defined musical phrase. This can be ‘melted’ into a flowing, nebulous continuum of sound.” Benjamin will introduce the audience to his fascinating sound world during the concert and talk about the interaction between the  arts. The young musicians of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY will then focus on Jagden und Formen, a major “work-in-progress” by their artistic director, Wolfgang Rihm, that has grown over the years. It begins as a mating dance of two violins and intensifies into a breathlessly irresistible music: virtuoso, intoxicating, and brimming with ideas.

With the friendly support of the Foundation Melinda Esterházy de Galantha Zurich