Ensemble Musikfabrik I

In 2019, composer Rebecca Saunders was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in Munich – probably the highest distinction for creative musicians and musical thinkers. At the awarding ceremony, the foundation’s board announced that in the future, the organisation’s support would also be available to young ensembles “which make a vital contribution to the transformation of compositions into musical experiences”. There could have been no better time for these two decisions to coincide – the awarding of the main prize and the reference to the future. For Rebecca Saunders, dialogue with performers, the communal exploration of sound possibilities and their inherent time is an essential part of the composing process. The composer and Musikfabrik have been working together regularly since 1998, to their mutual musical delight. “Close cooperation with musicians is an inspiration, a driving force”, she professed in her Munich acceptance speech with respect to the musicians of the Ensemble Musikfabrik. “We are a team and as banal as it may sound: Without you, our New Music would not resound. My work often pays homage to you, to your mastery, to your astonishing virtuosity, to your decades-long dedication to your instrument.” This programme will look at the collaboration’s early days and move on to joint projects from more recent times.