Black Page Orchestra

PROGRAMME
Mirela Ivicevic, Dream Work (2018), for baritone saxophone, e-guitar, piano, percussion, electronics and film, 11′
Amanda Feery, New Work* (2024), for saxophone, e-guitar, piano, percussion and electronics
Matthias Kranebitter, pitch study no.2 / the 88 piano keys (2022), for piano and keyboard, 19′
Peter Ablinger, The Absolute (The World Will Smile)* (2024), for saxophone, e-guitar, piano, percussion and electronics
Fergal Dowling, Total Harmonic Distortion* (2024), for saxophone, e-guitar, piano, percussion and electronics
Vladimir Gorlinski, The Reason (2014), for tenor saxophone, e-guitar, piano, percussion and video, 10′

* Black Page Orchestra Commission

PERFORMERS
Florian Fennes, clarinets / saxophones
Ruben Mattia Santorsa, e-guitar
Alfredo Ovalles, piano / keyboard
Igor Gross, percussion
Matthias Kranebitter, electronics

Austrian new music group Black Page Orchestra are renowned for their bold and fearless approach to music commissioning, programming and performance. Well-established on the continental festival circuit, here, on their first visit to Ireland, Black Page Orchestra present three works by composers closely associated with the ensemble – Mirela Ivicevic (Croatia), Matthias Kranebitter (Austria), and Vladimir Gorlinski (Russia) – as well as three new commissions written specially for this event, including a new work by Peter Ablinger (Austria), perhaps one of the most recognisable and poetic voices in contemporary music, and two new Black Page Orchestra commissions by Irish composers Amanda Feery and Fergal Dowling.

BLACK PAGE ORCHESTRA, founded 2014 in Vienna, is an ensemble for radical and uncompromising music of current times. The name derives from Frank Zappa’s composition the black page, a piece which score is due to the high density of notes and musical events nearly a black paper. Beside this clear aesthetical approach the ensemble focuses on compositions using electronics, video and different technologies in an artistic context as well as pieces with performative character.

This event is part of the Music Current Festival. See the full programme here.