Varèse 360º

Concert of music by Edgard Varèse in Holland Festival 2009, conducted by Peter Eötvös, performed by Asko|Schönberg, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, Capella Amsterdam.
The French-American composer Edgard Varèse (1883-1965) left behind a significant oeuvre that will be performed in its entirety over two evenings. Winds, brass and percussion, at times augmented by voices, dominate in Varèse’s often raw, rhythmic orchestral works. His Poème Électronique, in which sound fanned out over the Le Corbusier-designed Philips pavilion at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958, became legendary. The Holland Festival presents the premiere of Étude pour Espace, a sketch for his never-realized utopian opera Espace, in an orchestral arrangement by Varèse’s former assistant Chou Wen-chung. This unique event will be executed under the musical leadership of composer/conductor Peter Eötvös and will be joined by new work by video artist Gary Hill. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for every music lover!