Biennale Musica 2024 transforms Venice into the center of absolute music
Absolute music, pure sounds, acoustic architectures: Biennale Musica 2024 celebrates the essence of music in its most authentic form. From September 26 to October 11, Venice becomes the sound laboratory where innovative composers and performers present scores, codes, and performances without extra-musical or visual references.
Ten sections, international composers, and young talents explore the autonomous language of contemporary music from September 26 to October 11
Lucia Ronchetti, artistic director of the Music Department, introduces the 68th International Festival of Contemporary Music as a journey into the autonomous language of music.
Ten sections outline a complex and fascinating panorama of today’s musical thought with Polyphonies, which immerses us in monumental acoustic architectures of compositions for orchestra and electronic processing by Rebecca Saunders, Unsuk Chin, Beat Furrer, Luca Francesconi and Salvatore Sciarrino.
In Assolo, writing for solo instruments becomes a complete expression of the aesthetics of composers such as George Benjamin and Michael Pisaro-Liu, highlighting refined virtuosity.
Listening/Hearing transforms the Sala d’Armi E of the Arsenale into an installation space for individual listening to twelve composers, including Iannis Xenakis, Alvin Curran, and John Zorn, curated by sound engineer Thierry Coduys.
Sound Structures explores the physical nature of sound through immersive compositions by Gérard Grisey, Wolfgang Rihm, Lisa Streich, and others.
Jazz improvisation finds its place in Absolute Jazz with soloists such as Tyshawn Sorey and Peter Evans, who use jazz language as a basis for their sound research.
Counterpoints presents elaborate contrapuntal mechanisms with Galina Ustvolskaya, Kaija Saariaho, and David Lang, while Pure Voices leads us into ecstatic and meditative experiences with the vocal music of Arvo Pärt and Justė Janulytė.
For fans of experimental electronics, Solo Electronics offers concerts with Tim Hecker, Richard Devine, and Robert Machiri in Pavilion 30 of Forte Marghera.
Musica Reservata highlights research works for solo instruments or small ensembles featuring composers Golfam Khayam, Isabel Mundry, and Eva Reiter.
A theoretical space with Ricercare features Festival artists reflecting on various aspects of their work through round tables, lectures, and meetings, including four Lezioni di musica with Giovanni Bietti live and broadcast on Rai Radio3.
Rebecca Saunders is the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of this edition: recognized for the intimate poetry of her sound architectures. Her works Wound and Skull will be performed at Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Piccolo Arsenale, respectively. Meanwhile, for the energy and innovation in pursuing bold musical projects, the Ensemble Modern from Frankfurt receives the Silver Lion.
La Biennale and Young People
A way to connect with new generations and stimulate discussion on the contemporary music scene: Biennale College Musica involves eleven young musicians under 30 from 58 countries, allowing them to present compositional and performance interventions within the event.
The program includes five world premieres by composers Mattia Parisse (in the Listening/Hearing installation space program for the duration of the Festival), Miles Walter (September 27), Alice Hoi-Ching Yeung (September 28), Hristina Šušak (October 3), and Jaeduk Kim (October 4), as well as performances of contemporary works entrusted to percussionist Aleksandra Nawrocka (September 27 and 28), young viola da gamba player Giulio Tanasini (October 2), and the Kandinsky Quartet (October 7), an emerging Viennese quartet and winner of major international awards.
Friday, October 11, at Ca’ Giustinian in the Sala delle Colonne, the fourth edition of the Jury Prize of Italian Conservatory Students awards the best composition and performance of the Festival under 25, highlighting the importance of dialogue between young musicians and the current artistic landscape.
BIENNALE MUSICA 2024
Tickets and season passes for the Biennale Musica 2024 performances are available for sale online and, starting one hour before each performance, at the on-site ticket office.
Points of sale: La Biennale di Venezia, Ca’ Giustinian, San Marco 1364/A from September 26, 10 AM – 5 PM daily.
Biennale Arte Infopoints, Giardini and Arsenale from Tuesday to Sunday, 11 AM – 7 PM (until September 30), 10 AM – 6 PM (until October 11).
Article by Lucia Pecoraro.
Photos: Rebecca Saunders ph. Astrid Ackermann; ET ET Ensemble ph. Guillaume Musset; Thomas Guggeis ph. Sophia Hegewald; Biennale College Musica 2024 – Courtesy la Biennale di Venezia ph. Andrea Avezzù; Tyshawn Sorey ph. Mastergraphics Photography.
