Peter Eötvös Curates Toronto Symphony’s New Creations Festival Featuring Jörg Widmann

March 1 marked the beginning of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2012 New Creations Festival, this year curated by none other than Hungarian new music pillar Peter Eötvös. A distinct reflection of the composer’s omnivorous tastes and inspirations, the eighth annual New Creations Festival boasts an eclectic series of over 10 chamber, orchestral, saloon and jazz performances, March 1 through 10, and features the music of Mr. Eötvös and Jörg Widmann among many other leading voices in contemporary music.

Peter Eötvös leads the Canadian premiere of his concerto for violin and orchestra, Seven, on March 1 with soloist Akiko Suwanai; on Saturday, March 3, Eötvös leads the symphony in a performance of Widmann’s brilliant concert overture Con brio; and Wednesday, March 7 features the North American premiere of Eötvös’ Cello Concerto Grosso (co-commissioned by the TSO, Berlin Philharmonic, Tonhalle Zürich, Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra), as well as his zeroPoints and Widmann’s Elegie for clarinet and orchestra. Finally, Eötvös leads the New Music Concerts Ensemble at the Glenn Gould Studio through his chamber works Psy, Octet and Windsequenzen. More on  Eötvös’ Cello Concerto Grosso, which premiered in June, 2011 with the Berlin Philharmonic:

The work is a dialogue in multiple levels: The solo cellist performs with the orchestral cello section, and soloist and cello section both enter into dialogue with the whole orchestra. The concerto retains the classical form of three-movements which could be characterized as ‘energetic, dance-like’, ‘meditative’ and ‘fresh and sparkling.’ The music also cites instrumental techniques of Transylvanian folk music such as the ‘Bartók pizzicato’ with its cracking percussive sound.
- Peter Eötvös

New Creations audiences also have ample opportunity to hear from the artists themselves in a series of intermission chats accompanying the orchestra concerts as well as a multimedia discussion with Peter Eötvös on his love of jazz and opera on Tuesday March 6 at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum. The discussion is presented in conjunction with Soundstreams’ Salon 21 lecture series. More info here.

Go to www.tso.ca to learn more on the New Creations Festival.

Peter  Eötvös
Cello Concerto Grosso (2010/2022)
for violoncello and orchestra
3(2.afl,3.pic).3(3.ca).3(2.Ebcl,3.bcl).3(3.cbsn)-2.2.2(2.btbn).cbtbn.0-timp.4perc-hp.cel-str
27’

Seven (2006, rev. 2007)
Memorial for the Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia
for violin and orchestra
3(1.afl,2,3.pic).3.3.bcl.asax.(bsax).3-2.2.2.1–4perc-egtr.hp.kbd sampler-str
21’ 

zeroPoints (1999)
for orchestra
2pic.2.ca.3(3.Ebcl).bcl.ssax.tsax.2.cbsn-4.2(1.pictpt).3.1-5perc-2hp.kbd sampler(cel)-str
15’

Jörg Widmann
Con brio (2008)
concert overture for orchestra
2(2.pic).2.2.2-2.2.0.0-timp-str
12’

Elegie (2006)
for clarinet and orchestra
2(2.pic).0.0.2(2.cbsn)-2.0.0.0-perc-hp.gtr.cel.acc-str
19’