events

The elegant box featuring the nine Chemins by Luciano Berio was released by Sebastian Solte's label Bastille Musique. Composed between 1965 and 1996 as a sort of "citation, translation, expansion and transcription of the Sequenzas for solo instrument" – to paraphrase the words of the composer – these Chemins are also the best analyzes of the Sequenzas.
The double CD, accompanied by the program notes and a beautiful iconographic set, includes the live recording of the six concerts featuring the WDR Symphony Orchestra which were held between 2016 and 2017 in Cologne, in the frame of the cycle "Musik der Zeit": seven conductors and seven soloists participated in this ambitious project, which includes the world premiere recording of Chemins IIc.
For the disc review, read here.

Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna © Gisela Bauknecht [Sammlung Bruno Maderna, Paul Sacher Stiftung Basel]

The concerts with music by Luciano Berio continue until summer 2020. Here follows a list of the most relevant events (for the complete list, see the Concert Calendar).
Folk Songs is scheduled in Innsbruck, with mezzo-soprano Elisabeth de Roo and the Windkraft ensemble conducted by Kasper de Roo (March 18), in Birmingham, featuring Charlotte Sleet and the ensemble of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under the baton of Daniele Rosina (March 27), and in Aalborg, with Ninna Bugge Rasmussen and the Aalborg Symphoniorkester conducted by Eirik Haukås Ødegård (June 10).
Coro is performed at the Opéra de Lausanne by the Choir and Orchestra of the students of Hautes école de musique latines, under the baton of Emilio Pomàrico (April 2nd).
Rendering is scheduled in severa concerts: in Milan, featuring the Münchner Symphoniker conducted by Kevin John Edusei (April 8) and in Budapest, in the frame of the Budapest Spring Festival, with Zsolt Hamar conducting the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra (April 17).
Différences is performed by the Ensemble Phoenix Basel and Christof Stürchler (sound director) conducted by Jürg Henneberger in two concerts at the Gare du Nord, Basel (April 18 and 19).

The Centro Studi Luciano Berio is pleased to announce that on October 24, 2019, on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the composer's birth, a street in Florence was named in his honor. Via Luciano Berio joins other streets and public spaces dedicated to Berio in the years following his death in 2003: in Rome, Genoa, Milan, Radicondoli (SI), Imperia and Jávea (Alicante). Emblematic close to the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Via Luciano Berio is part of Via del Fosso Macinante and located at the intersection of Viale Fratelli Rosselli and Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The inauguration ceremony took place at 10:30 am with the representatives of the Municipality of Florence, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Tempo Reale, Orchestra della Toscana, the Berio family and the Centro Studi Luciano Berio.
During the ceremony, Andrea dell’Ira and Claudio Quintavalla – first trumpets of the Orchestra del Maggio – performed two works by Berio: Fanfaretta per Tartuca for two trumpets and Gute Nacht for solo trumpet.
The dedication was decided by the council of Palazzo Vecchio to underline the close bond betwen the composer and the city of Florence: Berio was, in fact, the artistic director of the Orchestra della Toscana (1982-84), artistic director of the 47th edition of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (1984) as well as the founder and artistic director of Tempo Reale, centre for musical research, production and didactics (1987-2000).

Many concerts featuring Luciano Berio's music are scheduled in the last months of 2019 and the first part of 2020. Here follow the most outstanding events (for a complete list, see our Concert calendar).

Folk Songs is one of the most performed works during Fall 2019: it is scheduled in Vancouver, with mezzo-soprano Dawn Upshaw and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Otto Tausk (Oct 18-20); in Milan, together with O King, in the frame of MilanoMusica, featuring Cristina Zavalloni and Ensemble Sentieri Selvaggi conducted by Carlo Boccadoro (Nov 4); in Antwerp and Ghent, with Solgerd Isalv and the Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen under the baton of Philipp Pointner (Nov 9 and 12).

The Philharmonie de Paris hosts in November a concert entirely dedicated to Berio: the program features the performances of Sequenza X (with trumpetist Clément Saunier), Concerto for two pianos and orchestra (with pianists Hidéki Nagano and Julien Blanc, the Orchestre du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by Matthias Pintscher), Sequenza VIIb (with saxophonist Rui Ozawa) and Sinfonia, with the addition of the Synergy Vocals (Nov 12).

The Chinese composer Yikeshan Abudushalamu won the first and successful edition of the Luciano Berio International Composition Competition.
The competition was promoted by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, in collaboration with the SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, the Filarmonica della Scala, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Foundation, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra and the Boris Christoff Foundation.

128 applications were submitted: 89 from Europe, 14 from the Americas, 22 from Asia, 2 from Australia and 1 from Africa; 37 are the nations represented. The composers have an age ranging from 13 to 40 years (maximum age for the admission).
The eliminatory phase, which ended on 30 September 2019, led to the identification of the finalist composers. The final phase was held in Rome on 13 and 14 October 2019. The prestigious jury, chaired by Antonio Pappano, was composed of Ivan Fedele (Italy), Unsuk Chin (South Korea), Tristan Murail (France) and Augusta Read Thomas (USA).

We are happy to announce that the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, in collaboration with the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, has promoted an international composition competition dedicated to Luciano Berio.
The competition, open to composers under 40, is the result of a partnership with SIAE, the Filarmonica della Scala, the Fondazione Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, and the Boris Christoff Foundation. It will bestow a commission for the composition of an original piece of symphonic music to have its world première during the 2020-2021 season of Santa Cecilia, directed by Antonio Pappano. The piece composed by the winner will be published by Universal Edition and subsequently inserted in the concert seasons of the partner orchestras. The Jury, chaired by Antonio Pappano, Musical Director of the Academy, will also be comprised of Ivan Fedele, Unsuk Chin, Tristan Murail and Augusta Read Thomas.
Registration will end on 1 July 2019. The elimination round will conclude on September 30th, 2019 leading to the selection of the finalists of the competition. The final phase will take place in Rome on the 13th and 14th of October 2019.
For more information, click here.

The appointments with Luciano Berio's music continue during the central months of 2019. Here follow the most outstanding concerts (for a complete list, please visit our Concert calendar).

Folk Songs are scheduled at the The Kennedy Center, Washington, featuring mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gianandrea Noseda (June 6–9); the Stroma ensemble, with mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew and under the baton of Hamish McKeich, will perform this work in Wellington, New Zealand (August 1st). Corale is performed in Seattle by violinist Luke Fitzpatrick and the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Adam Stern (June 8). Naturale is scheduled in Munich and Tutzing with Christian Pilz, Klaus-Peter Werani and Markus Steckeler – musicians of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunk – conducted by Joseph Bastian (July 6 and 7); in August, Naturale will be performed in the frame of Salzburger Festspiele, featuring Tabea Zimmermann and Christoph Sietzen (August 13). Coro is scheduled at the Ruhrtriennale (Gladbeck) in two concerts with Duisburger Philharmoniker and Chorwerk Ruhr conducted by Florian Helgath (August 31 and September 1st). Sinfonia is performed in Helsinki, with Susanna Mälkki conducting vocal ensemble Exaudi and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (September 6).

At the beginning of 2019 numerous events featuring Luciano Berio's music are scheduled. Here follow the most outstanding concerts (for a complete list, please visit our Concert calendar).

Folk Songs are performed in Costa Rica for the first time, featuring mezzo-soprano Marcela Alfaro and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Heredia conducted by Joan Pagès (Feb 22 and 23). Otto Romanze e Quattro versioni originali della "Ritirata Notturna di Madrid" di L. Boccherini, with tenor Enrico Casari and the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto conducted by Marco Angius are scheduled at Teatro Pollini, Padua (Feb 28) and at Teatro La Fenice, Venice (March 1st). The Otto Romanze are again on the bill, along with Siete Canciones populares españolas, in Frankfurt am Main (March 30) and Köln (March 31), featuring Rolando Villazon and the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Quattro versioni originali della "Ritirata Notturna di Madrid" di L. Boccherini are also scheduled in Innsbruck with Camerata Innsbruck CINNS conducted by Maria Makraki (April 13).

From February 1st to 3, at the Cité de la Musique / Philharmonie de Paris, is scheduled a Week-end Berio+, which in addition to the performance of some 'classics' of Berio’s catalog (including Sinfonia, Sequenza VIII and Opus Number Zoo), it will present two novelties of exceptional importance. Friday, February 1st (Salle des concerts, 8.30 pm) will be presented L'Orfeo, a reworking of Monteverdi’s masterpiece conceived by Berio in 1984 and premiered in Florence with a group of composers including Luca Francesconi, Ludovico Einaudi, Maurizio Dini Ciacci and Betty Olivero. In 1986 the work was reperformed in Florence in a new version, to then fall into oblivion lasting about thirty years. Angela Ida De Benedictis – who oversaw the reconstruction of the score of the work in the 1986 version, staged on this occasion – will report the events of this collective project in a preparatory talk before the performance (Amphitéâtre, 7.00 pm). Among the performers are some of the musicians who took part in the world premiere and the reprise of 1986 (Maurizio Dini Ciacci, who will conduct the opera, and Francesco Pisanu).