›NDR Bigband meets Ensemble Modern‹

From 25 to 27 April, 2025, the Rolf-Liebermann-Studio in Hamburg hosts the festival ›NDR Bigband meets Ensemble Modern‹. Over the course of three evenings, the two ensembles explore innovative sonic worlds together. The festival begins with the concert ›#Frisch poliert‹ (Freshly Polished) on 25 April, combining newly-arranged works by Frank Zappa with works Zappa credited as influential for his output: Iannis Xenakis’ ›Anaktoria‹, Anton Webern’s Symphony Op. 21, ›Octandre‹ by Edgard Varèse and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s ›Gesang der Jünglinge‹. On 26 April, ›#Uraufgeführt‹ (Premiered) features three new works by the compositional mavericks Carla Kihlstedt, Alex Paxton and Ali N. Askin, all written especially for this unique collaboration. The finale takes place on 27 April: the performance ›#ad hoc‹ allows the ensembles to present works developed during their cooperation and further explore the boundaries of contemporary music.