International Rostrum of Composers 60th Anniversary
Not I (2010) for soprano (or mezzo-soprano), chamber ensemble and electronics by Polish composer Agata ZUBEL (born 1978) and So very strange (2013), by young Icelandic composer Úlfur HANSSON (born 1988) are the works selected by radio music producers participating in the 60th International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) held in Prague from May 28 to 31, 2013.
Agata Zubel's work was chosen in the general category for her setting of Beckett's text Not I (1972), a logorrhoea of fragmented sentences in which an elderly woman tells the story of her life.
Listen here.
Ulfur Hansson, who had constructed a new instrument, a harp played by electro-magnetic currents called OHM, won the Under 30 category with So Very Strange, an electronic voyage that goes beyond conventional musical categories.
Listen here.
As a result of the voting process a number of other compositions were 'recommended' for broadcast, including works from Denmark, Italy, Austria, Taiwan, Norway, Germany, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania.
During their visit to Czech Republic, the Rostrum delegates were offered diverse opportunities for knowledge-building and sharing on the occasion of a meeting with the Czech composer Petr Bakla, artistic director of the Contempuls Festival, an interview with Czech composer Kryštof Mařatka and an 'open mic' session on the Rostrum and the diverse ways that Rostrum works are presented to the audience. The itinerary for the week included a presentation by former IRC chair David Jaeger (Canada) about his 31 years at the Rostrum as CBC delegate.
To view the list of participating radio stations, click here
For further information about the International Rostrum of Composers - click here