Following an invitation by the Central Conservatory of Music Beijing, the ensemble Windkraft will participate as an ensemble in residence at the Beijing International Composition Workshop (BICW) from the 13th – 21st of July, 2014.
Five outstanding musicians of the ensemble Windkraft – Tyrolean Michael Cede on the flute and Martin Schöch on the horn, and South Tyrolean Roberto Gander (clarinet), Lukas Runggaldier (oboe) and Lisa Stockner (bassoon) – will travel to China to present Austrian wind music on a very high artistic level.
At a concert the ensemble will perform works by the composers Werner Pirchner, Erich Urbanner, Judith Unterpertinger, Manuela Kerer and Helga Plankensteiner. At the workshop the Windkraft quintet will introduce new playing techniques for wind instruments. The extremely talented young South Tyrolean Lisa Stockner will performWerner Pirchner’s work “Mit FaGottes Hilfe”, while the flutist Michael Cede will present his own composition. At the closing concert Windkraft will perform eight world premieres by young Chinese composers, together with the ensemble “Con Tempo Beijing”, and also use traditional Chinese instruments such as Zheng, Pipa, Sheng, Erhu.
With this project Windkraft aims at transporting new and innovative wind music in areas beyond Europe and contributes to more awareness for Austrian wind music.
The ensemble
Windkraft is a wind orchestra that is active in both North and South Tyrol. Since its foundation in 1999, Windkraft has positioned itself as a specialized ensemble in the field of contemporary music.
In addition to many concerts at renowned festivals such as Klangspuren Schwaz and Transart Bolzano, Windkraft has performed in Vienna, at the Carinthian Summer Ossiach, at the Mahler Weeks in Toblach and Muziekgebouw Amsterdam. Further performances were given at the opening concert Museion Bolzano, at the Festival Eclatsconcerts Fribourg, the Engadin Festival, the Valgardena Festival, Merano Festival, at the opening of the Universiade 2005 at the Tivoli Neu in Innsbruck, at the Arena Festival Riga , the Gaida Festival in Vilnius, at a chamber concert in Innsbruck, and two concerts in the broadcasting studio ORF-Tirol for the concert series “Musik im Studio”.
So far the ensemble Windkraft has performed numerous world premieres by Tyrolean and international composers. In 2007 the ensemble collaborated with the German broadcasting corporation WDR Cologne and produced a concert and CD recording of Johannes Maria Staud’s “Violent incidents”. Sofia Gubaidulina’s “Stunde der Seele” was premiered in 2004 and was also produced as a CD.
Links
Windkraft | http://www.windkraftmusic.com
Beijing International Composition Workshop (BICW) | www.ccom.edu.cn