Like every year, Transit offers a sample of what is happening in new music right now. As such, alternative sounds, unconventional elements and adventurous choices are essential. We are looking forward to discovering new composers, confirming our opinions of familiar composers and welcoming the Transit debut of a.o. the Talea ensemble, LAPS ensemble and Tiptoe Company.
But above all, this edition may well be one of stark contrasts. The rock-based fantasy of Peter Ablinger against the refined compositional artistry of Vykintas Baltakas, the digital laptop-world of the LAPS ensemble, against the piano/song recital of the closing concert, the sonourous imagination of Pierluigi Billone ad Tim Mariën against the theatrical madness of Alexander Schubert and Alexander Khubeev. Although it was entirely unintentional while putting it together, this edition turns out to be spanning several generations. To the mix of young talents and established composers, two absolute grandmasters have been added, who coincidentaly are celebrating a major birthday this year: Georges Aperghis (70) and Helmut Lachenmann (80). The vital power of their work demonstrates that in new music age does not matter. Instead, it is the sharp edge of novel ideas and the musical power we are constantly in search of.
Maarten Beirens - artistic director
programme Transit 2015
TRANSIT Collectie is an initiative of MATRIX [New Music Centre], in cooperation with Festival 20/21 and the support of the city of Leuven.
