World premiere of "Mask"

In the first half of 2007 musikFabrik, the ASKO Ensemble and the Remix Ensemble will perform the European premieres of Mask, a new work for ensemble and soundtrack. The work was commissioned by Kunststiftung NRW, Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst and Casa da Música, Porto.
In Mask, musical layers are covered and revealed. Overtone 'masks' in the soundtrack transform the colour of the notes in the instrumental ensemble, shifting the sound texture. The musical layers within the ensemble and soundtrack overlap one another; sudden interruptions rip a hole in the texture, revealing previously concealed layers.

musikFabrik will give the first performance at Broadcasting Hall in Cologne on Feb. 11. Additional performances of Mask include the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels (musikFabrik), and the Netherlands premiere (ASKO Ensemble). For details see sidebar.

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"Imprint" CD release

Michel van der Aa's virtuosic work Imprint, part of the Siemens Arts Program's project ‘About Baroque’, has been released on compact disc by Harmonia Mundi. The Freiburger Barokorchester, led by Gottfried von der Goltz, performed the compositions on this live recording made during the Holland Festival 2006.
Imprint takes Baroque articulation, stylistic conventions and virtuosity and develops them into full-blown modern Concerto Grosso. Monothematic material, maniacally repeated, becomes a virtuoso gesture. This material, introduced by the solo violin, spreads like wildfire through the rest of the orchestra, flung back and forth between instrumental groups.

“...a rhythmically taut, effective demonstration of collective virtuosity...”- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

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Looking ahead

During the period April-May 2007, Michel van der Aa will travel to Sardinia and Perth for masterclasses and performances.
In Perth, the Tura New Music Festival will present a retrospective of his works, including the Here trilogy, Auburn, Quadrivial, solo for percussion, Just Before and Between. The film Passage and the television production of One will be shown, and Van der Aa will present the keynote address on his recent opera After Life.
The Festival Spazio Musica in Cagliari (Sardinia) will include masterclasses and a performance of Mask.

Van der Aa has begun working on a new song cycle for mezzo-soprano, orchestra and soundtrack, commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre Nationale de Paris and the NDR Orchestra in Hamburg. The Dutch mezzo Christianne Stotijn will be the soloist. The work's premiere is scheduled for the 2008/2009 season.

Upcoming concerts

11 February 2007
Mask (world premiere)
musikFabrik, cond. Peter Rundel
Broadcasting hall, Köln, Germany

3 March 2007
Oog
Francesco Dillon, cello
Broadcasting hall, Köln, Germany

10 March 2007
Memo
Maaike Aarts, violin
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

24 April 2007
Mask
ASKO ensemble, cond. Clarke Rundell
Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam

27 April 2007
Passage
Luna Cinemas
Tura New Music Festival, Perth, Australia

27 April 2007
Solo for percussion
Claire Edwardes, percussion
Tura New Music Festival, The Bakery, Perth, Australia

28 April 2007
Here [in circles] & Here [to be found]
West Australian Symphony Orchestra New Music Ensemble, cond. Brett Dean
Merlyn Quaiife, soprano
Tura New Music Festival, Art Gallery of WA, Perth, Australia

30 April 2007
Auburn, Just before, Quadrivial
Axis 21 ensemble
Tura New Music Festival, WAAPA @ ECU, Perth, Australia

1,2,3 May 2007
Between
Defying Gravity Ensemble
Tura New Music Festival, Perth, Australia

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