Interaction between Boulez and Tenney gives new dimension to iconic Répons

Asko|Schönberg and the Belgian wind ensemble I SOLISTI turn music into a spatial experience in a performance of Répons by Pierre Boulez and James Tenney's In a Large Open Space.

Pierre Boulez is an icon of the musical avant-garde of the 20^ste century. As a composer and conductor, he left his mark on the new musical practice. His monumental Répons is rarely performed, so this is a unique opportunity to experience this work live. 100 years after his birth, is Boulez's work still as iconic as it was in 1985?

Interplay between Tenney and Boulez

By playing Boulez's work on an evening with In a Large Open Space by James Tenney, both works take on a deeper layer. Both composers seek ways to broaden and challenge our listening.

At Répons Pierre Boulez turns the age-old idea of question and answer on its head. He literally places the audience in the middle of it: in a circle between the ensemble and the six soloists. Computers allow the sound of the musicians to change and swirl through the hall.

No complex score then again for In a Large Open Space by James Tenney: the free but carefully spaced tones elicit a more nuanced listening. Tenney gives the musicians great freedom in long tones and chords. By moving around the space, the audience hears changes and shifts in the soundscape.

International cooperation

Boulez100 was created through the efforts of several partners from the Netherlands and Belgium; a unique collaboration. Asko|Schönberg and I SOLISTI join forces to bring this little-played work to the concert halls of the Netherlands and Flanders. The concert is made in co-production with Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, PerPodium vzw and Muziekcentrum De Bijloke.

Asko|Schönberg

Asko|Schönberg presents bold concerts and performances of composed music from the 20th and 21st centuries in a variety of settings, from concert stages and open-air festivals to theatres. The ensemble develops research projects and educational activities. The emphasis is on stimulating and creating new work by contemporary creators. All with the aim of inspiring Dutch and international audiences and discovering new sounds.  

I SOLISTI

What started more than 30 years ago as a traditional wind octet has grown, under the inspired leadership of artistic director and founding father Francis Pollet, into an ensemble and music production house with international recognition. The musical heritage of 250 years of wind music|r|evolution from Mozart to the present day is the common thread and is devotedly propagated but also constantly questioned and renewed.

Boulez100 - Asko|Schönberg in collaboration with I SOLISTI

• 24 April: Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam
• 26 April: Floraliënhal, Ghent (BE)
• 27 April: De Doelen, Rotterdam
• 29 April: De Singel, Antwerp (BE)

Performed by Asko|Schönberg and I SOLISTI
Bas Wiegers conductor
Miriam Overlach harp
Pauline Post piano
Jan Michiels piano
Jan Rokyta cimbalom
Joey Marijs percussion
Tom De Cock percussion
Koen Keevel (PME-Technica Group) audio engineering
Oscar Bouwmans (PME-Technica Group) electronics

Supported by the Ministry of OCW, the Flemish Government, the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts and the Belgian Taxshelter.