Festival Focus:
The Schönberg Ensemble

A momentous musical occasion as one of the 20th century’s most groundbreaking ensembles presents two distinct concerts at Hamer Hall.

Composer Reinbert de Leeuw formed The Schönberg Ensemble in 1974. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the most radical classical musical groups of the time, its repertoire centering on great, innovative musicians whose music had largely been ignored.

34 years on, The Schönberg Ensemble presents the work of some of the foremost composers of recent times, the canon of the avant-garde, in two huge Festival concerts. The first evening includes works by composers Louis Andriessen, John Adams, Mauricio Kagel and the Ensemble’s namesake Arnold Schönberg.

The second concert features the Ensemble with very special guest, the extraordinary Canadian soloist, Barbara Hannigan performing works by Michael Smetanin, Jan van de Putte and ends with a celebration of composer György Ligeti who was mentor to and collaborator with The Schönberg Ensemble for many years.

Visit The Schönberg Ensemble's Festival webpage for up-to-the-minute program details including repertoire.

These concerts are a must: for avant-garde aficionados, certainly, for whom this collection of names will cause palpitations of delight; but also for those of us who just love music that pushes the boundaries, these concerts are also a must! You may not have heard of all the names but these composers and their colleagues have had an enormous influence on contemporary music as we know it.

Here's a bit of background information on Reinbert de Leeuw, Barbara Hannigan and the cutting edge composers behind the repertoire:

REINBERT DE LEEUW

BARBARA HANNIGAN

ARNOLD SCHÖNBERG

LOUIS ANDRIESSEN

JOHN ADAMS

MAURICIO KAGEL

MICHAEL SMETANIN

JAN VAN DE PUTTE

GYÖRGY LIGETI

^{Photos: Co Broerse, Gerrit Schreurs & Marco Borggreve}