On March 26, Susanna Mälkki will lead the Royal Academy of Music’s Manson Ensemble in a concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of composer Pierre Boulez’s birth. A Royal Academy alumna herself, Mälkki returns to lead a program featuring Academy alumni, current students and musicians from Juilliard, performing some of Boulez’s most distinctive works: Dérive 1, Mémoriale (…explosante-fixe… Originel) for solo flute and small ensemble, Messagesquisse, and Sur Incises.
Reflecting on the program, Mälkki remarked: “Boulez’s legacy in musical modernism is unquestionable, and I am most inspired to pass forward his art and his thinking to the new generation as we celebrate the centenary of his birth. The works in the programme we are performing are some of my very favourites of his output, true jewels of musical refinement with their unique universe of sound.”
The ensemble includes flutist Efrem Workman, cellist Jason Ma, pianists Junyan Chen and Emanuil Ivanov, harpists Huw Boucher, Aisha Palmer, and Bonnie Scott, and percussionists Nathan Gatenby, Guozhi Long, and Paddy Davies.
A celebrated interpreter of contemporary music, Mälkki served as Music Director of the Ensemble intercontemporain from 2006 to 2013, a role she assumed at Boulez’s invitation. Held at Duke’s Hall, this performance is part of a larger series honoring Boulez’s legacy, highlighting his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary music.
Photo credit: Jiyang Chen