Final concert of the IEMA grants in Frankfurt: terrific intensity
frankfurt ⋅ The fact that music students almost exclusively play works so obviously in their final examination that they cannot draw on the interpretation experiences of their teachers for preparation is probably very rare. For the scholarship holders of the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA), who are taking their practical examination for the master’s degree at the Frankfurt Music Academy in public concerts this week, this is nothing unusual. Just a few weeks ago, almost all the pieces in the first of three programs were neutrally labeled as: “New Work (2022)”. In contrast to the “classics” of contemporary music, some of which will be heard in the concerts to come, the teachers of the Ensemble Modern wanted their students to be interested above all in searching for the sound intended by the composer and the technology required for it , according to the meaning and the dramaturgical arc of tension.
The students now presented their finds with trembling intensity. The only 22-year-old composer Jong-hoon Kim called his piece “Pas de Deux in front of Golden Calf”, which has now had its world premiere. In this composition for large ensemble, thoughts about God and idols, dance and drunkenness condense: an exciting work to listen to, with quiet but also almost folksy cheerful moments of dance.