© Susan Poeschl
The O/Modərnt Kammarorkester has proven its creative approach to “classical” music several times already during the past seasons at Young Euro Classic. Taking their name, “O/Modərnt” – meaning “un/modern” – as a point of departure, the musicians take pride in exploring the relations between works by ancient composers and the artistic and intellectual products of modern culture. This spirit results in programmes of great stylistic variety – from arrangements of medieval motets via Bach and Vivaldi to commissioned works by contemporary composers and free improvisation. The O/Modərnt Kammarorkester is an essential part of the festival O/Modərnt, which Hugo Ticciati founded in 2011 and which is at home at the rococo theatre of Ulriksdal near Stockholm; it also has its own concert series at the concert hall Musikaliska in Sweden’s capital.
Konzerthaus, Berlin
As a teenager, Gregor Burgenmeister performed as a pianist himself. After graduating from school, however, he decided to leave music-making to others and to turn to another art form instead: film. From then on, his path took him to stations as programmer at the Hamburg Film Festival, as an editor at Studio Hamburg and to various positions in film and television productions. There he learned something essential for a young media professional: how to tell fascinating stories well. It was not least his youthful passion for music that moved him to turn back to the music business professionally. And so, undaunted by the crisis confronting all print media, he founded the monthly magazine concerti in Hamburg in 2005, telling exactly those fascinating stories about classical music and offering extensive calendar listings. In fact, concerti began its development into Germany’s leading classical music magazine from a simple and plausible point of departure: “I wanted it for myself. I was missing such a magazine.”
© Marco Borggreve
The musical world of the Swedish violinist Hugo Ticciati is characterized by infinite curiosity. The 37-year-old brother of the designated chief conductor of Berlin’s DSO, Robin Ticciati, includes literature, philosophy, spirituality and meditation in his programmes, just like dance and kinetic painting. He performs the classical violin concertos, but also delves into contemporary music with verve. Ticciati has works by Takemitsu, Shchedrin, Glass and Lera Auerbach in his repertoire and has also given works by Albert Schnelzer, Sergey Yevtushenko and Tobias Boström their world premieres recently. He is a passionate chamber musician, working with the percussionist Evelyn Glennie, pianists Angela Hewitt and Olli Mustonen and the trombonist Nils Landgren, for example. In addition, Hugo Ticciati is the artistic director of the O/Modernt Kammarorkester, which is in residence at Stockholm’s concert hall Musikaliska.
© Nick White
Like Hugo Ticciati, the British cellist Matthew Barley, born in 1965, is a musical wanderer between worlds, switching effortlessly between classical and improvisation, electronic sounds and pedagogical projects. He has worked with such different artists as Jon Lord (of Deep Purple), Sultan Khan, Django Bates and jazz pianists Julian Joseph and Nikki Yeoh. Barley has performed world premieres of numerous cello works, including some by Detlev Glanert, John Metcalfe, John Woolrich and James McMillan. In 2013 he dedicated himself to Benjamin Britten’s centennial, giving about 100 performances and workshops in the process. In 1997 the cellist founded his ensemble “Between the Notes”, with which he has implemented more than 60 education projects with young musicians. Together with his wife, the violinist Viktoria Mullova, and “Between the Notes” he recorded the CD Through the Looking Glass in 2000, featuring pieces from Alanis Morisette to Miles Davis and George Harrison.
© Arshad Chaudhry
Raised in the holy village of Sri Bhaini Sahib in the Punjab, Sukhvinder Singh began early in life to learn the dholak (drum). Given his mixture of virtuosity, spontaneity and musical charisma as a tabla player, he has found a numerous and enthusiastic audience in India, Europe and the USA. During his career, he has worked with such outstanding compatriots as Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. In 1994 Sukhvinder Singh received a Grammy for his musical project A Meeting by the River.
The british-indish Sarod-player Soumik Datta considers himself a musical “bridge-builder” between classical Indian and contemporary music, working with artists such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Bill Bailey and Akram Khan. In 2015 he wrote the music for the internationally celebrated dance-theatre piece Fractus V by the Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbei Cherkaoui; his most recent project was the film Lost Musicians of India.
“Silouan’s Song“ for String Orchestra (1991)
“Distant Light“ Concerto for Violin (1997)
And improvisations with tabla, inspired by works by Pēteris Vasks, Sultan Khan and the Beatles – and much more.
PROGRAMME: From the Baltic to the Himalaya
Crossing Borders into the Unfamiliar Familiar
The O/Modərnt Kammarorkester from Stockholm has already proven several times at Young Euro Classic that it is absolutely fearless when it comes to non-classical eras, styles or instruments. This holds true once again this summer, when the musicians and their charismatic leader Hugo Ticciati undertake a long musical voyage from the Baltic Sea to the Himalayas. Silouan’s Song by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is more than music, representing a journey into the spiritual world of St. Silouan of Mount Athos. Creating “food for the soul” was also the Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’ goal when he wrote his Violin Concerto Distant Light in 1997. These suggestive works will inspire the O/Modərnt Kammarorkester and Indian tabla master Sukhvinder Singh for the second half of the concert – its improvisations are likely to include such wildly different artists such as John Tavener, Sultan Khan and even the Beatles. A concert to open hearts, ears and all other senses!