Concert

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Sweelinck | Kurtág | Andre

Dutch Ruff, 17th century, detail

Dutch Ruff, 17th century, detail © Author unknown, Plooikraag, fraise à la confusion, CC0 1.0

Two solo concerts provide deep insights into the work of the composer Mark Andre. In the first concert, Pierre-Laurent Aimard presents Andre's soundscapes against a backdrop of historical and geographical contrasts with new works by the Hungarian György Kurtág and the "Fantasia Chromatica" by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.

The New York times hailed Pierre-Laurent Aimard as “a brilliant musician and extraordinary visionary". Which raises the question of how exactly the pianist is able to look further or deeper than other interpreters. Perhaps it is his ability to shed new light on the old and to contemplate the new in light of the old? In this programme, Pierre-Laurent Aimard builds a bridge that spans almost 400 years of music history. From the Dutch organ master Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck to the Hungarian György Kurtág to the fragile sound fabrics of the Berliner-by-choice Mark Andre.
In doing so, it becomes apparent that proximity and distance can be measured neither by temporal nor geographical boundaries. Mark Andre, who presents the confined interior of the piano as though it were an infinite landscape, has studied the Dutch composers' music intensively and thus laid the foundation for his own creative work. Traces of the past are also omnipresent in György Kurtág’s piano cosmos. In his miniatures, music history is unleashed, every impression leaving traces. If you like, you can discover an entire web of references in them – or abandon yourself to the enchanting poetry of these enigmatic "games", an ever-growing body of piano pieces.

Concert Programme

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562 – 1621)
Fantasia Cromatica
and other works

György Kurtág (*1926)
New and previously unpublished
compositions from the last few years

Mark Andre (*1964)
Contrapunctus (1998/99)
for piano

Cast

Pierre-Laurent Aimardpiano

A Berliner Festspiele / Musikfest Berlin event