1966 Stockholm

Jury

Luigi Dallapiccola
György Ligeti
Witold Lutosławski
Arne Nordheim
Karl-Erik Welin

Concerts

Friday, 9 September 1966
Gábor Darvas (Hungary, b. 1911; d. 1985): Improvisations symphoniques for piano and orchestra (1963)
+ Karl Amadeus Hartmann (West Germany, 1905-1963): Gesangszene [text: Jean Giraudoux] for bass/baritone and orchestra, op. posthum (1961/63) [25′] [in memoriam]
Antonio Tauriello (Argentina, b. 1931): Transparencias for six instrumental groups (1964)
Enrique Raxach (Netherlands, b. 1932 in Spain [Catalonia]): Syntagma for orchestra (1964-65) [17′]
(In addition, the concert was to have featured a performance of
Henryk Górecki (Poland, b. 1933; d. 2010): Choros I, lop. 20 for strings (1964) [18′] but the parts that arrived were unusable so the work was cancelled.)

Saturday, 10 September 1966 – operatic performance conducted by Stig Westerberg
Gunnar Bucht (Sweden, b. 1927): Tronkrävarna (The Pretenders) (libretto by the composer based on a play by Henrik Ibsen) (1962-65) [world premiere]

Sunday, 11 September 1966
+ Edgard Varèse (France/United States 1883-1965): Octandre for wind quintet, trumpet, trombone, and double-bass (1923) [7′] [in memoriam];
Bolesław Szabelski (Poland, b. 1896; d. 1979): Preludes for Orchestra (1963) [7′];
Klaus Huber (Switzerland, b. 1924; d. 2017): Alveare vernat for flute and ensemble (1965) [14′];
Mauricio Kagel (West Germany, b. 1931 in Argentina; d. 2008): Diaphonie I, for SATB chorus, orchestra, and two slide projectors (1962-64) [19′];
Georges Aperghis (France, b. 1945 in Greece): Antistixis for three string quartets (1967) [withdrawn?];
Fausto Razzi (Italy, b. 1932): Improvvisazione for viola and 18 winds plus timpani (1965);
Tomasz Sikorski (Poland, b. 1939; d. 1988): Prologi for female chorus, two pianos, and chamber orchestra (1964) [6′].

Monday, 12 September 1966
Ross Edwards (Australia, b. 1943): Wind Quintet No. 2 [withdrawn];
Knut Nystedt (Norway, b. 1915; d. 2014): De profundis for unaccompanied chamber chorus (1966) [9′];
Charles Ives (United States 1874-1954): songs for baritone and piano;
Vittorio Fellegara (Italy, b. 1927; d. 2011): Epitaphe [text: Paul Éluard] for two sopranos and five instrumentalists (1964) [8′];
David Bedford (United Kingdom [England], b. 1937; d. 2011): Music for Albion Moonlight [text: Kenneth Patchen] for soprano with flute, piano, melodica, violin, and violoncello (1965) [25′];
Per Nørgård (Denmark, b. 1932): Prisme for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone and instrumental ensemble (1964) [8′].

Tuesday, 13 September 1966
Paul Dessau (East Germany, b. 1894; d. 1979): Quattrodramma for 4 violoncellos, 2 pianos, and 2 percussionists (1965) [14′];
Bengt Johansson (Finland, b. 1914; d. 1989): The tomb at Akr Çaar [text: Ezra Pound] for solo and unaccompanied chamber choir (1964);
Ron Lewy (Israel, b. 1944): V’Hi T’hilatecha (This is Glorification) [text: Yehuda Amichai] for speaker, three-part chorus, and three violas;
Marek Kopelent (Czechoslovakia, b. 1932): String Quartet No. 3 (1963) [8′];
Antonio Veretti (Italy, b. 1900; d. 1978): Elegia in Friulano for soprano, clarinet, violin, and guitar (1963);
Leifur Thórarinsson (Iceland, b. 1934; d. 1998): Óró No. 2 for chamber ensemble (1966) [world premiere?] (withdrawn?);
Axel Borup-Jørgensen (Denmark, b. 1924; d. 2012): Torso, op. 54, for string quartet and fixed media electronic sounds (1965) [16′];
Alfred Janson (Norway, b. 1937; d. 2019): Kanon for chamber orchestra and fixed media electronic sounds (1965) [13′].

Wednesday, 14 September 1966
Siegfried Naumann (Sweden, b. 1919; d. 2001): Il Cantico del Sole for contralto, baritone, chorus, 10 instrumental soloists, and orchestra (1963) [25′] [world premiere];
Jan W. Morthenson (Sweden, b. 1940): Coloratura IV for orchestra (1966) [7′];
Ingvar Lidholm (Sweden, b. 1921; d. 2017): Poesis for orchestra (1963) [16′].

Thursday, 15 September 1966
Michael Gielen (Austria, b. 1927; d. 2019): Pentaphonie – Un dia sobresale (Ein Tag tritt hervor) [text: Pablo Neruda],  for narrator, SATB soloists, piano, five additional instrumental soloists, and five groups each with five musicians (1961-63) [23′];
Witold Szalonek (Poland, b. 1927; d. 2001): Les Sons for orchestra (1965) [10′];
Jean-Claude Éloy (France, b. 1938): Étude III, for orchestra, with five percussions, celesta, harp, and piano (1962) [19′];
Joep Straesser (Netherlands, b. 1934; d. 2004): 22 Pages for wind orchestra with three male voices [text: John Cage] (1965) [11′];
Bengt Hambraeus (Sweden, b. 1928; d. 2000 in Canada): Transfiguration for orchestra (1963) [15′].

* ? other operatic performances
Lars Johan Werle (Sweden, b. 1926; d. 2001): Drömmen om Thérèse (Dreaming about Thérèse) (1964)
Karl-Birger Blomdahl (Sweden, b. 1916; d. 1968): Herr von Hancken [libretto: Erik Lindegren] (1962)

* An evening of electronic music ?

Additional repertoire that was programmed but was not performed
In addition to the piece by Górecki referenced above, there was also to have been a performance of
Karlheinz Stockhausen (West Germany, b. 1928; d. 2007): Mikrophonie II for 12 singers, Hammond organ (or synthesizer), 4 ring modulators, and magnetic tape (1965) [15′]

Significant interpreters

Voices: Günther Reich, Marianne Mehnas, Taru Valjakka, Dorothy Dorow, Solwig Grippe, Christer Solen, H.C. Andersen, Erik Saeden, Leo Rosenblüth, Karen Heerup, Astri Herseth, Folke Wedar, Käge Jehrlander, Rolf Leanderson.
Violin: Per Mendel Stern.
Violas: Gideon Roehr, Holger Hanson, Björn Sjögren, Lars Arvinder.
Pianos: Janos Solyom, Tomasz Sikorski, Erika Haase, Sten Envik, Willy Andresen, Anne- M. de Lavilleon-Verdier, Jeanne Loriod (Ondes Martenot). –
Guitar: Karlheinz Böttner.
Winds: Susanne Huber (Fl.), Arne M0ller (Klar.), Björn Johansen (Sax.).
Ensembles: Noväk-Quartett, Ens. des Radio Symphonie Orch., Musica Nova, Bläserquintett des Radio Symphonie Orch., Dänisches Quartett.
Orchestras and Choruses: Philharmonisches Orch. Stockholm, Chor und Orch. der Königl. Musikhochschule; Radiochor, Kammerchor, Jugendchor (Stockholm); Radio Symphonie Orch. Stockholm.
Conductors: Herbert Blomstedt, Mauricio Kagel, Siegfried Naumann, Folke Rabe, Eric Ericson, Tamäs Veto, Paul Dessau, Anders Oehrwall, Sverre Bruland, Michael Gielen.

Sources

Anton Haefeli, Die Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (IGNM), Ihre Geschichte von 1922 bis zur Gegenwart (Atlantis Musikbuch-Verlag, 1982), pp. 524-525.

Nicolas Slonimsky, Music Since 1900, Sixth Edition edited by Laura Kuhn (Schirmer Reference, 2001), pp. 601-602.

(annotated by Frank J. Oteri, in progress)