Zöllner-Roche Duo: Lauri Supponen

Standard £25 // Solidarity £32.50 // Kirklees Resident £23 // Under 30 £8
Our Solidarity ticket price is an opportunity for audiences to support our work by purchasing a ticket at a slightly higher price (the cost of a Standard ticket plus 30%). Read more about Solidarity prices here. 

Advance booking required 

Estimated end time: 8.40pm 

Zöllner-Roche Duo: 
Heather Roche clarinet 
Eva Zöllner accordion 

Julie Zhu (USA, 1990) 
Nadir aux pommes (2023) 9’ 

Lauri Supponen (Finland, 1988) 
east (2026) 20’ World Premiere 

Martin Rane Bauck (Norway, 1988) 
sondern die sterne, die sterne der Erde (2024) 15’ UK Premiere 

Accordionist Eva Zöllner and clarinettist Heather Roche are – individually and as a duo – internationally celebrated champions of new music, known for their adventurous programming and close collaborations with composers.  

At the heart of the programme they bring to hcmf// 2026 is the world premiere of Composer in Residence Lauri Supponen’s East – the latest instalment in his cycle of pieces that take cardinal directions as a source of orientational insight. Via a ‘sonic ecosystem’ based on the interacting gravities of a pair of chords, East explores the act of placing oneself in space and engaging with the situation present – merely the knowledge of north or east pushes a person deeper into their own experience of space and situation – as well as elaborating on the precariously continuing aural tradition in Supponen’s family. 

Julie Zhu’s Nadir aux pommes draws inspiration – and its title – from Jacques Rivette’s cult film Céline et Julie vont en bateau. Playful, theatrical and quietly absurd; the work follows a relationship that is at once collaborative and combative, accompanied by the watchful presence of a goldfish. Blurring live performance and video, Zhu’s piece delights in distraction, unexpected encounters and the curious ways we focus our attention. 

Completing the programme is the UK premiere of Martin Rane Bauck’s sondern die sterne, die sterne der Erde (but the stars, the stars of the earth). Taking its title from the poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, the work reflects on the wonder of summer nights and the enduring presence of the stars, unfolding with luminous detail and quiet intensity. 

Together, these works showcase the remarkable versatility of Zöllner-Roche Duo and the expressive possibilities of two instruments in close conversation. 

Produced by hcmf// supported by Music Finland; also supported by Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

East is commissioned by hcmf// 

Photo: Zöllner-Roche Duo © Sam Walton // Laui Sopponen © Heli Hirvelä