Festival O/MODƏRNT (meaning ’Un/Modern’ in Swedish) celebrates a “looking back” to the past by exploring the relationships between the work of old composers and the artistic and intellectual creations of modern culture, be it in music, art, dance, theatre, film, poetry, literature, academia and so forth. Each year a single composer closely contemporary with the period when the Ulriksdals Palace Theatre Confidencen first rose to life will be the guiding spirit of the Festival O/MODƏRNT. The O/MODƏRNT Kammarorkester has developed during recent years under the direction of the violinist Hugo Ticciati as an integral part of the Swedish Festival.
In June 2019 Festival O/MODƏRNT explores and ‘misreads’ the rich, diverse and complex reception of Beethoven’s ever-looming musical and ideological presence. MIS/READING BEETHOVEN breaks down generic barriers in order to re-engage with Beethoven’s extraordinary legacy, celebrating the work of his forebears and inheritors, and taking some exhilarating steps into the unknown.
In 1821 Beethoven recorded a dream in which he travelled to India, while his diaries for the preceding years contain several references to Indian thought. The transformed ethos, exemplified in the Buddhist-influenced philosophy of Schopenhauer, is characteristic of a post-Napoleonic desire for stability. Musically, Beethoven looked backwards, becoming fascinated with fugal form and also seeking transcendence, notably in his String Quartet Op. 127. This concert combines post-Napoleonic pensiveness with dreams of India, juxtaposing Beethoven’s meditative mode with an exploration of the classical music of northern India.
PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in E-flat Major Op. 127
Maestoso – Allegro
Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Andante con moto – Adagio molto espressivo
Scherzando vivace Allegro
– Interval –
Classical North Indian Music
PERFORMERS
Nicki Wells voice
Sukhwinder ‘Pinky’ Singh tabla
Christoffer Sundqvist clarinet
Hugo Ticciati violin
Quartetto di Cremona
Cristiano Gualco violin
Paolo Andreaoli violin
Simone Gramaglia viola
Giovanni Scaglione cello
Quartetto di Cremona – string quartet
Since its formation in 2000, the Quartetto di Cremona has established a reputation as one of the most exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage. Regularly invited to perform at the most important festivals and concert seasons across Europe, North and South America, and the Far East, the Quartet has garnered universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike for its high level of interpretive artistry. They are a regular feature on radio and television broadcasts around the world, performing their extensive repertoire which ranges from early Haydn to contemporary music.