Franck Ollu

Programme

Minas Bourbodakis
"sparks, waves and horizons" (commissioned by musica viva, world premiere)

Francesca Verunelli
"Accord, chord and tune" for acordion and orchestra (commissioned by musica viva, world premiere)

Interval

Iannis Xenakis
"Ais" for baritone, percussion and orchestra

Franck Ollu, Conductor

Krassimir Sterev, Akkordeon

Dirk Rothbrust, Schlagzeug,Pauke

Georg Nigl, Baritone

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

PART OF THE MUSICA VIVA CONCERT SERIES

This concert is part of the musica viva concert series – one of the world’s most important forums for contemporary music. This forward-looking concert series presents new orchestral and ensemble works as well as advanced chamber music compositions of experimental character at the highest level.

More information

About the programme

This programme features three pieces that relate to southern Europe, all commissioned by musica viva. The première of Italian composer Francesca Verunelli’s Concerto for Accordion is flanked by two works from Greek composers. For years Minas Borboudakis, born on the Isle of Crete, has been a freelance composer and pianist in Munich. Nonetheless, the title of his new work sparks, waves and horizons conjures up images of the Mediterranean. Greek culture stands earnest and severe in the foreground of Ais by Iannis Xenakis. “Ais” (Hades) is the realm of the dead, the underworld of shades, based on fragments from the Odyssey, the Iliad and lines of Sappho. It is a monumental work for baritone, solo percussion and orchestra. To quote the composer: “The orchestra highlights or invokes feelings connected with the twin concepts of life and death – feelings that define us all, and from whose polarity there is no escape.”