Happy New Year to you all! If you’re feeling over-indulged on ample sufficiencies of turkey, Christmas pud and mince pies, here’s a repast of a different sort: my preview of what is in store for contemporary music over the next twelve months. Bon appétit!
January
18th Qigan Chen London premiére of Reflet d’un temps disparu and world premiere of Raymond Yiu’s The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured. Barbican, BBCSO conducted by Long Yu.
27th Concert of Copland, Carter, Ives and John Adams. LSO/St Lawrence String Quartet conducted by John Adams. Barbican, London.
February
2nd Total Immersion: Sounds from Japan. Concerts, talks and films exploring the rich Japanese contemporary and traditional music scenes. Barbican, BBCSO and friends.
9th Huw Watkins Day. Featuring chamber works by the composer. Elias String Quartet. Wigmore Hall, London.
15th David Sawer Flesh and Blood (world première). BBCSO conducted by Ilan Volkov. Barbican, London.
15th Richard Baker The Tyranny of Fun (world première). BCMG conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth. CBSO Centre, Birmingham.
22nd Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival. Roland Levinsky Arts Building, Plymouth.
26th-27th Repeating Patterns: the start of US minimalism. A concert in the London Sinfonietta’s Landmarks series focusing on an introduction to the world of minimalism. London Sinfonietta. Purcell Room at QEH, London.
March
4th Composition: Wales. A day of workshops followed by premières of composers working in Wales. BBCNOW. BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay.
9th Stuart MacRae Earth (world première). BBCSSO conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Candleriggs, Glasgow.
9th Total Immersion: New from the North. A celebration of the best new music from Finland and Denmark. BBCSO and friends. Barbican, London.
14th Unsuk Chin New Work, Joseph Pereira Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra (European première). LA Phil New Music Group conducted by Joseph Pereira. Barbican, London.
16th John Adams European Première The Gospel According to the Other Mary. LA Phil. Barbican, London.
16th-24th Lucerne Festival at Easter. Lucerne, Switzerland.
April
6th George Benjamin Day. Chamber works by the composer. Various performers. Wigmore Hall, London.
9th LSO Futures Week: Tansy Davies. The music of Tansy Davies features in this Eclectica concert, the first event of LSO Futures Week. LSO. St. Luke’s, London
13th Future’s Week continues in two events that include world premières by Jason Yarde and Colin Matthews. LSO conducted by François-Xavier Roth. Barbican, London.
23rd-30th Mopomoso on Tour. Mopomoso On Tour – 21 years of the best in UK free improvisation
May
9th-18th Vale of Glamorgan Festival. Includes world premières by Aaron Kernis, Galina Grigorieva, John Metcalf and Mark Bowden. Various venues in Glamorgan, South Wales and Arts Hall, Lampeter.
12th-2/6 Prague Spring International Music Festival.
17th Jonathan Lloyd New Work for Winds (World Première). BBCSO conducted by James Gaffigan. Barbican, London.
22nd In Portrait: Luke Bedford. A concert that includes two premières from the composer. London Sinfonietta. Purcell Room at QEH, London.
Also in May (date not yet available):
Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival, Canterbury.
June
7th-23rd Aldeburgh Festival. Featuring world premières from six leading international composers: Harrison Birtwistle, Magnus Lindberg, Wolfgang Rihm, Richard Rodney-Bennett, Poul Ruders and Judith Weir. Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh.
20th-27th St Magnus International Festival. Orkney Islands, Scotland. 2013 programme available in March.
27th– 31st/7 Munich Opera Festival. Includes music by contemporary composers. Nationaltheater and other venues in Munich.
30th-13th/7 Soundscape. Festival of new music with composer in residence Dan Visconti. Maccagno, Italian Alps.
Also in June (date not yet available):
Elektrostatic Contempoary Classical Festival. Arnolfini and Colston Hall 2, Bristol.
July
4th-21st Manchester International Festival. A biennial event. Various venues, Manchester.
5th-21st Buxton Festival. Programme not yet finalised but some details available on their website.
6th-25th/8 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. This year focusing on the music of the Baltic States. Various venues, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
12th-7th/9 BBC Proms. Website currently showing 2012 programme, but there will be guaranteed premières aplenty. Royal Albert Hall, London.
15th-27th High Score Festival. Contemporary music festival and classes. Pavia, Italy.
Also in July (dates not yet available):
‘Aix en Provence Festival. Some details already available on the website, including The House Taken Over, a new opera by Casco Mendonça. Full programme available January 24th.
Tête à Tête Opera Festival. Rightly described as ‘our most imaginative opera laboratory’, the festival focuses entirely on new music.
August
4th-10th Sound and Music Summer School. The Sound and Music Summer School is the only UK residential course of its kind for young composers (aged 14-18). Purcell School of Music.
9th-1st/9 Edinburgh International Festival. The world famous festival’s full programme will be announced in March.
21st-27th Presteigne Festival. Artistic innovation, musical discovery and, of course, new works in the Welsh Marches. Presteigne, Powys.
September
5th Olso Contemporary Music Festival. Beyond the opening date, few details available on the festival website. Oslo, Norway.
5th-5th/10 Beethovenfest. Programme available in March. Bonn, Germany.
Also in September (date not yet available):
Warsaw International Festival of Contemporary Music. Still showing 2012 programme. Warsaw, Poland.
October
10th-13th Arcomis International Brass Event. Concerts that contain new music as well as masterclasses, workshops and seminars. Will include sessions led by composers, top brass players and ensembles. Various locations in Cardiff.
Also in October (dates not yet available):
Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea de Tres Cantos. Contemporary music festival in Madrid, Spain.
Sound. North East Scotland’s Festival of New Music. Various venues.
Wien Modern. Festival that focuses on contemporary music. Still showing 2012 programme. Vienna, Austria.
November
16th-24th Lucerne Festival at the Piano. A long way ahead, but many details now available on the festival website. Lucerne, Switzerland.