The 68th International Festival of Contemporary Music, directed by Lucia Ronchetti, begins today and will run from September 26th to October 11th, 2024. This year’s Biennale Musica is dedicated to the concept of Absolute Music, focusing on sound in its purest form, free from references to text, image, or narrative. Through sixteen days of concerts, lectures, and discussions, the festival will showcase new works by some of the most inventive contemporary composers, emphasizing music as an autonomous language.
The program features a wide range of events, including performances by international soloists and ensembles, as well as projects from young artists in the Biennale College Musica. Five new productions by emerging composers and performances by six young musicians will be highlighted in an autonomous section, exploring the frontiers of instrumental music.
The festival will be divided into ten thematic sections. POLYPHONIES presents complex orchestral works with electronic processing, while ASSOLO focuses on virtuoso instrumental compositions. LISTENING/HEARING offers a space for individual listening experiences, curated by French composer Thierry Coduys. Other sections, such as ABSOLUTE JAZZ and SOLO ELECTRONICS, explore improvisational research and experimental electronic music.
One of the festival’s highlights will be the Italian premiere of Rebecca Saunders’ Wound (2022), performed by the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice and Ensemble Modern. Additionally, RICERCARE will feature theoretical discussions by festival participants, offering insights into their compositional approaches. The festival promises to engage audiences in an immersive exploration of the boundaries of contemporary music.
All photography courtesy of BIENNALE MUSICA
