Ensemble Intercontemporain, Matthias Pintscher

Hear 20th-century music that explores spirituality as part of Southbank Centre’s festival Belief and Beyond Belief.

Ensemble Intercontemporain presents mesmerising music by Pierre Boulez, Jonathan Harvey and Philippe Schoeller.

Conducted by their Music Director Matthias Pintscher, the ensemble performs one of Boulez’s most ethereal works alongside the more overtly spiritual Bhakti by Jonathan Harvey. The programme is completed by Philippe Schoeller’s piece inspired by the Olympian god, Hermes.

Following the death of Pierre Boulez in January 2016, The Guardian described him as the ‘single dominant figure of the classical musical world through the second half of the 20th century and beyond.’

Using electronics to create intricate textures, ...explosante-fixe was conceived as a memorial piece for Stravinsky in 1971. In the following year, Boulez founded Ensemble Intercontemporain, which premiered ...explosante-fixe in its definitive version for solo flute, chamber orchestra and electronics in 1993.

British composer Jonathan Harvey was invited by Boulez to work at IRCAM. He wrote several works for Ensemble Intercontemporain, including Bhakti. Harvey’s gleaming sonorities offer an intimate exploration of ‘bhakti’, the Hindu word for a devotional act of faith.

Performers
Ensemble Intercontemporain
Matthias Pintscher - conductor

Repertoire
Boulez: ...explosante-fixe... (In memoriam Stravinsky) for flute with live electronics, 2 flutes & orchestra
Philippe Schoeller: Hermès V for large ensemble
Interval
Harvey: Bhakti for ensemble & quadraphonic tape