Donatoni: Chamber Works

Featuring

Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir
Kristjana Helgadóttir
Ingólfur Vilhjálmsson
Elmar Schrammel
Ensemble Adapter
Franco Donatoni

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

Donatoni often rejected extended forms of development in his music, instead orienting himself towards Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'moment form,' where the direction of subsequent development is unpredictable.

Compositional Technique

Franco Donatoni's compositions often use strict, mathematically or geometrically generated patterns, where pitch chains are perceived as structured flows of energy rather than expressive gestures.

Performer Biography

Ensemble Adapter, a German-Icelandic contemporary music ensemble based in Berlin, has been active since 2004 and produces its own concert series called 'Rotation'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Franco Donatoni believed that a single idea is sufficient to compose a piece, advocating for codes or guidelines to organize and transform ideas rather than amassing many.

Recording & Production

The Ensemble Adapter's recording of Quarto Estratto is a world premiere recording, and their decision to have each instrument play at its own 'as quickly as possible' tempo resulted in a complex polyphony.

Composer Biography

Franco Donatoni struggled with music in his youth, recalling that he was a disappointment as a violin student and his father regularly assured him he would be unemployed as a composer.

Composer Biography

Franco Donatoni's rigor in composing, combined with a predisposition to compulsive neurosis and depression, led to major crises that forced him to suspend artistic activities for long periods.