| |
Farben Ensemble was formed at the Boito Conservatory in Parma in 1997 in a chamber music class given by Pierpaolo Maurizzi. The group, which was originally known as the Trio Klee (violin, clarinet, and piano), is made up of young musicians who share a passion for contemporary music.
Their repertoire includes twentieth-century masterpieces such as Bartok's Contrasts, Berg's Adagio dal Kammerkonzert, Schoenberg's Kammersymphonie Op. 9 (Webern's version) and Pierrot Lunaire, Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps, and works by Ives, Stravinsky, Boulez, Grisey, Lachenmann and Abbate.
From the beginning, Farben Ensemble has earned a reputation for fine ensemble-playing, winning several prizes in major competitions, including first prize at the "Città di Asti" competition, first prize at the "A.GI. MUS" competition in Tortona, second prize at the "G. Zinetti" competition in Sanguinetto (VR), and a special prize at the "Riviera del Cornero" international competition.
The ensemble has appeared in several important festivals, in Italy and abroad, such as "Molliche 1997" in Benevento, the "IX Maratona Musicale" in Tortona, "L'Ora della Musica" in several theaters throughout Reggio Emilia, and in "Europeisches Podium Junger Solisten" in Graz, Austria.
Farben was invited three years in a row to take part in the "Musiques Vivantes en Méditerranée" Festival; in Salonicca (Greece) in 1997, in Damascus (Syria) in 1998, and in Genova in 1999. It was also in 1999 that Farben was invited to take part in several prestigious contemporary music festivals, most notably, "Traiettorie" in Parma, and "Di Nuovo Musica" in Reggio Emilia. In 2001, Farben distinguished themselves in Cagliari by offering the Italian première of Gérard Grisey's work titled Vortex Temporum. Many composers have composed works specially for Farben, including Luigi Abbate, Fabrizio Fanticini, Lucio Garau, Mario Garuti, and Giorgio Magnanensi.
In 2000, Farben Ensemble joined LUMEN, a cultural association in Parma open to all musicians and composers who wish to explore and promote contemporary music. With LUMEN's support, Farben, which has always made a point of working in close collaboration with composers, is thus able to present to the public an ever-growing number of world premières.
(Translation: Anaïk Bernèche)
|
