CANCELLED – Ensemble intercontemporain Concert

Following the last French government announcements about the COVID-19 crisis, it is with regret that we have to cancel this event.

The day before the final, the Ensemble intercontemporain will perform for the first time at the Salle de l’Institut in a program that will alternate between Claude Debussy by Hidéki Nagano, pianist of the Ensemble and second prize of the 1994 Competition, and chamber music pieces. The Ensemble intercontemporain will perform “Dérive 1” (1984) for six instruments, emblematic work of Pierre Boulez, founder of the Ensemble.

Soloists:

• Alain Billard, clarinet
• Sophie Cherrier, flute
• Eric-Maria Couturier, cello
• Samuel Favre, percussion
• Hae-Sun Kang, violin
• Hidéki Nagano, piano

Programme:

• Claude Debussy, Danseuses de Delphes – (Préludes: Livre I, 1)
• Olivier Messiaen, La Colombe (extract from Huit Préludes, for piano)
• Toru Takemitsu, Rain Tree Sketch II, for piano
• Olivier Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du Temps : IV. “Intermède”, for violin, clarinet and cello
• Olivier Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du Temps : VII. “Fouillis d’arcs-en-ciel, pour l’Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps”, for cello and piano
• Claude Debussy, Syrinx, for flute
• Bruno Mantovani, Bug, for clarinet
• Claude Debussy, Cloches à travers les feuilles (Images, 2e série), for piano
• Tristan Murail, Une lettre de Vincent, for flute and cello
• Claude Debussy, Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (Images, 2e série), for piano
• Tristan Murail, Attracteurs étranges, for cello
• Claude Debussy, Poissons d’or (Images, 2e série), for piano
• Pierre Boulez, Dérive 1, for six instruments

 Ensemble intercontemporain

In 1976, Pierre Boulez founded the Ensemble intercontemporain with the support of Michel Guy (who was Minister of Culture at the time) and the collaboration and Nicholas Snowman.

The Ensemble’s 31 soloists share a passion for 20^th-21^st century music. They are employed on permanent contract, enabling them to fulfill the major aims of the Ensemble: performance, creation and education for young musicians and the general public.  Under the artistic direction of Matthias Pintscher the musicians work in close collaboration with composers, exploring instrumental techniques and developing projects that interweave music, dance, theater, film, video and visual arts.

In collaboration with IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), the Ensemble intercontemporain is also active in the field of synthetic sound generation. New pieces are commissioned and performed on a regular basis, for some of them with the support of the Fondation Meyer.

The Ensemble is renown for its strong emphasis on music education: concerts for kids, creative workshops for students, training programs for future performers, conductors, composers, etc.

Resident of the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, the Ensemble performs and records in France and abroad, taking part in major festivals worldwide.

The Ensemble is financed by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and receives additional support from the Paris City Council.