(BOSTON – Oct. 21, 2015) The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) presents the Grammy Award-winning Parisian Ensemble intercontemporain on Sunday Nov. 15, at 3:00 p.m., in the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater at the ICA (100 Northern Ave., Boston). General admission tickets are $25, $15 for members and students, and can be purchased at www.icaboston.org or by calling (617) 478-3103.
Between 1949 and 1954, composers John Cage and Pierre Boulez exchanged a series of letters that are the basis for this remarkable concert featuring soloists of the renowned Paris-based Ensemble intercontemporain. The group will perform a selection of works written during the composers’ correspondence including Boulez’s “Second Piano Sonata,” “Livre pour quatuor,” and “Douze notations,”and Cage’s “String Quartet in Four Parts,” “Six melodies for violin and keyboard,”“Music of Changes,” and “Sonatas and Interludes.” While teaching at Black Mountain College in 1952, Cage introduced students to the works of the young French composer, whom he viewed as a major figure in contemporary composition and sympathetic to his own musical developments. Many of the Cage compositions to be performed by Ensemble intercontemporain premiered at the College and illustrate his emerging compositional practices, which he discussed at length with Boulez. Selections from the letters will be read during the concert, offering a unique look at the work and practice of these hugely influential masters.
Program:
Pierre BOULEZ: Second Piano Sonata (excerpts)
Pierre BOULEZ: Livre pour quatuor for string quartet (excerpts)
Pierre BOULEZ: 12 Notations for piano (excerpts)
John CAGE: Music of Changes for piano (excerpts)
John CAGE: Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano (extracts)
John CAGE: Six Melodies for violin and piano (extracts)
John CAGE: String Quartet in Four Parts (excerpts)
(with Dimitri Vassilakis, piano, Hae-Sun Kang, Diego Tosi, violins, John Stulz, viola, Eric-Maria Couturier, cello, Damon Krukowski, reader)
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933–1957
About Ensemble intercontemporain
Founded in 1976 by Pierre Boulez, Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) is composed of 31 soloists who share a passion for 20th- and 21st-century music. Together they work in close collaboration with living composers, exploring instrumental techniques and developing new and multidisciplinary projects. With the Orchestre de Paris, EIC is one of the two ensembles in residence at the new Paris Philharmonie. Now entering his third season as Music Director of EIC, composer-conductor Matthias Pintscher also serves Principal Conductor Designate of the Lucerne Festival Academy, Artist-in-Association of the BBC Scottish Symphony, and Artist-in-Residence of the Danish National Symphony. He joined the composition faculty of New York’s Juilliard School in 2014.
This performance is supported, in part, by the David Henry Fund for Performance.
First Republic Bank is proud to sponsor the ICA’s 2015–16 Performance Season.
