The Canadian premiere of
Stockhausen’s Klang cycle

Opening of the Montreal/New Music (MNM) international festival on February 21 on the theme of Wide Open Spaces

One month before the opening of its Montreal/New Music (MNM) international festival, taking place from February 21 to March 2 on the theme of Wide Open Spaces, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) announces the latest activities on the program.

This event includes 21 works for the public to discover by moving between the different rooms.

Amongst these, special attention needs to be paid to a highlight of this 9th edition: the Canadian premiere of the entire cycle of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Klang (the 24 Hours of the Day) by the New York Analog Arts ensemble joined by musicians from Montreal for the occasion. This event will be ongoing on February 28 and March 1 from 10 am until midnight in three rooms of the SAT and includes 21 works for the public to discover by moving between the different rooms.

This last (unfinished) opus of the great German master illustrates the ascension of the soul into the cosmos. Originally, the intention was to gather 24 works associated to the 24 hours of the day but, as a sign of fate, was interrupted after the 21st work, Paradies (“paradise”), by the death of the composer.

After hearing the Klang cycle in Cologne in 2010, Walter Boudreau, artistic director of the SMCQ, started thinking about bringing this extraordinary experience to Montreal. “When we talk about Klang, we do not only talk about work, concert or music: we talk about a truly “complete” experience, involving the dimensions of space, movement, time on a scale as enormous as Stockhausen was! After having had the opportunity to experience this in Germany, I told myself I had to find a way to bring this to Montreal at all costs”, he says.

‘This last (unfinished) opus of the great German master illustrates the ascension of the soul into the cosmos.’

A few years later, in 2016, Walter Boudreau discovered that Analog Arts would be creating its American version in New York. The planets aligned: soon, the conductor would start long talks with the American organization about a Canadian presentation also involving Montreal musicians and singers as part of MNM 2019.

Also on the program: sleepless night and reflections!

Further to the MNM festival activities announced today, we would also like to mention a free “great night of listening” on Saturday March 2 and Sunday March 3 (from 7.30 pm to 4.30 am) at the UQAM’s Agora Hydro-Québec. There will be works of about 20 artists from here and abroad, including the Canadian premiere of Gruss and Abschied by Karlheinz Stockhausen, with live musicians and 32 speakers spread across the audience (co-production GRMS, Matralab and Hexagram-UQAM).

The festival will also host two study days on cultural mediation in creative music (thanks to a partnership with the École d’hiver internationale en médiation de la musique (International Music Mediation Winterschool) and on the profession of the composer in the digital era (with the Concordia University).

All activities and descriptions of the Montreal/New Musics Festival are available at festivalmnm.ca

Images: courtesy of SMCQ

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