| Ensemble intercontemporain | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | Contemporary classical |
| Occupations | Chamber orchestra |
| Years active | 1976-present |
| Website | www.EnsembleInter.com |
| Members | |
| Music Director Susanna Mälkki |
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| Past members | |
| Founder Pierre Boulez |
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The Ensemble InterContemporain (EIC) is a French chamber orchestra, based in Paris at the Cité de la musique and IRCAM, which specialises in contemporary classical music.
Pierre Boulez founded the EIC in 1976 in association with the French culture minister Michel Guy and the co-founder of the London Sinfonietta, Nicholas Snowman, conceiving it as a group of virtuoso soloists who could play orchestral literature or literature for any combination of instruments. The idea was for the ensemble to be more flexible than an orchestra, allowing composers to write for a group of instruments of their own choice. Many works that might have been conceived for orchestra are now being written with this instrumentation in mind. For example, Tristan Murail's Désintégrations, Helmut Lachenmann's Zwei Gefühle: Musik mit Leonardo, and Pierre Boulez's Répons, are all pieces that exist in the area between orchestral and chamber music.
The EIC differs from other contemporary musical ensembles in having a comparatively large group of permanent, salaried musicians (31), all of whom are nominally 'soloists'. This includes three full-time pianists, and three percussionists. (Smaller, unconducted, groups drawn from the EIC are billed as 'Les Solistes de l'Ensemble Intercontemporain'). The EIC, through its association with IRCAM, is also unusual in having an annual open call for scores from composers of any age or nationality.
The EIC is particularly noted for its performances of music by composers of the European modernist tradition. Its core repertoire encompasses "classic" twentieth-century compositions such as those by composers of the Second Viennese School, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Boulez, and György Ligeti, but has also collaborated with musicians from other disciplines, notably Frank Zappa. The EIC also specialises in Spectralist music, frequently performing works by Gérard Grisey, Tristan Murail, Hugues Dufourt and others. There is also a strong emphasis on commissioning new works; a large percentage of each season is given to world premieres.
The EIC was originally intended to be resident in IRCAM, but the need for a larger performance venue prompted a move to the Cité de la musique, a concert hall in the nineteenth arrondissement of Paris. The ensemble still performs and records at IRCAM, however. The EIC also has an extensive touring schedule, comparable to that of a symphony orchestra.
With the EIC, Boulez had the title of president.[1] In 1979, Peter Eötvös became the first conductor with the title of music director of the EIC, appointed by Boulez.[2] Other music directors have included David Robertson (1992–2000) and Jonathan Nott (2000–2003). Nott is currently the EIC's principal guest conductor. Since 2006, Susanna Mälkki has been the EIC's music director. Mälkki has added works by British, American and Finnish composers to the EIC's repertoire.
The EIC has recorded for a number of labels, including Deutsche Grammophon (music of Ligeti, Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Boulez[3] and Unsuk Chin[4]), and KAIROS (music of Alberto Posadas and Matthias Pintscher[5]), Luca Francesconi, Philippe Manoury and Michael Jarrell. Recordings by the EIC have received multiple awards, including the Gramophone Award and the Diapason d'Or.
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