This November, hcmf// 2023 will celebrate 70 years of Jürg Frey with a day of programming dedicated to the eminent Swiss composer, performer and clarinettist. Featuring several events showcasing his works, Jürg Frey @ 70 will take place on Saturday 25 November with performances by acclaimed musicians who have developed strong ties to his craft.
Jürg Frey was born in Aarau, Switzerland in 1953, where he has resided for the majority of his life. He made his living performing and teaching the clarinet, his interests in composition remaining private until he joined the Wandelweiser Group in the 1990s. Here his pursuits as a composer would also begin to flourish, playing a prominent role in this community of influential, experimental music practitioners who are best known for their use of silence and sparseness in sound.
Frey was invited to be Composer in Residence at hcmf// 2015, and after retiring from teaching the following year, interest in his career as an active composer has blossomed further. Now a widely cherished figure in contemporary music – described as one of its “most distinctive voices” by the New Yorker – Frey returns to Huddersfield to present a World Premiere and several UK Premieres at the 46th edition of the festival.
“Following Jürg Frey’s tenure as Composer in Residence in 2015 his music has always had a special place in the hearts of the hcmf// audience, and it is both right and a pleasure that the festival welcomes him home in this special birthday year.”
– Graham McKenzie, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, hcmf//
Jürg Frey @ 70
The day begins at St Paul’s Hall with a concert by leading contemporary vocal ensemble EXAUDI. The programme juxtaposes Frey’s recent pieces for EXAUDI’s singers alongside an earlier work exploring the nuances of sound and silence. A literary theme is weaved into the curation, with works featuring text from Kafka and Pessoa and settings of Emily Dickinson. Music for solo viola performed by Stéphanie Bozzini also features here, ahead of an evening concert by Quatuor Bozzini in the same venue. String Quartet No. 4 was written for the group after more than 20 years of collaboration with Frey, the work also structured to serve as an interstitial documentation of Frey’s ever-evolving artistry.
These two concerts bookend an afternoon of solo piano from Reinier van Houdt, key to comprehending the spectral harmonies in Frey’s work; the composer once declared: “If I were a pianist, I would play my music like Reinier would play it.” A sound installation and artist talk with Frey are also scheduled, with details to be announced.
“It’s about how to make the simple things sound without betraying them, the simple things that stand out somewhere in the volatility, fragility. I do not use the tones when working – but they are my allies.”
– Jürg Frey, composer
The 46th edition of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, hcmf// 2023, takes place Friday 17 – Sunday 26 November 2023. Tickets for highlight events including the Jürg Frey @ 70 programme are on sale now.
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