Founded in Strasbourg by pianist and conductor Jean-Philippe Wurtz in 1998, the Ensemble Linea has been involved since its beginnings in a democratization of contemporary music, by giving precedence to the encounter with the audience, an openness towards other artistic disciplines, and an active policy of concerts.
Beyond any schools and trends, the artistic project of Linea covers quite diverse aesthetic perspectives—from musical theater to electronic music, from Western music to the rich Asian repertoires. Based in Alsace (eastern France, bordering on Germany and Switzerland), at the crossroads of several cultures, Linea naturally approaches the repertoires in their multicultural dimension. Linea advocates an engaged music which is anchored in modernity : it favors works which question the mutations and complexities of our era.
The concerts of Linea are conceived as spectacles in their own right. Playful, theatrical, spatialized and explosive, they have always assured the Ensemble a solid reputation for dynamic staging. The audience is regularly involved in interactive spectacles promoting its participation. Finally, Linea eagerly seeks to include dance, video, theater or cinema in its productions.
Committed to creativity
Linea is actively engaged in the creation of music, working with many young composers. Pedagogical aspects are developed in the composition sessions in which the Ensemble Linea participates : in Royaumont (2009 and 2010), June in Buffalo (2011), Darmstadt Ferienkursen (2012) or in the Residency for Eight Composers organized by the ensemble itself in 2008.
Moreover, this work is consolidated by giving commissions to composers, leading to long-term and fruitful cooperations, and by regularly including new pieces in Linea’s programmes of performances.
In close relationships with established composers
From the very beginning, Linea has won the confidence of leading composers. In the first ten years, an intensive work with composers such as Klaus Huber, Ivo Malec, Younghi Pagh-Paan and Michael Jarrell led to many new pieces written by them for the Ensemble and for several CD productions.
Few years ago has Linea begun a close working relationship with Peter Eötvös, a composer that the ensemble knows very well, as Linea’s conductor Jean-Philippe Wurtz has been student at the renowned International Eötvös Institute in Hungary. Linea has played almost his full catalogue of ensemble and chamber music as well as his piece “Octet Plus” that was first performed in 2008 at Musica Festival in Strasbourg (France). All of these recent pieces were recorded for Linea’s new CD Ensemble Linea plays Eötvös which was released in early 2011 on hungarian label BMC.
A similar collaboration is underway with Brian Ferneyhough: last autumn has the Ensemble recorded his ensemble piece “Chronos Aion” for the french label AEON (CD in 2013). Linea has successfully performed this piece in both Zurich and Huddersfield in November 2011, after having premiered it for France in 2010 at the Royaumont Abbey.
An international reputation
Linea regularly participates to the main new music festivals worldwide. In 2011 has the Ensemble performed at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Tage für Neue Musik (Zurich, Switzerland), Ars Musica (Brussels, Belgium), June In Buffalo (USA). Previously has Linea participated to the ACMF in Seoul (Korea – 2009), Budapest Autumn Festival (Hungary - 2009), Aspects des Musiques d’Aujourd’hui in Caen (France - 2009), Ars Nova in Rottweil (Germany - 2009), Archipel in Geneva (Switzerland - 2008), Why Note in Dijon (France -2000), etc.
In summer 2012, Linea is invited to Darmstadt « Ferienkurse » (Germany), one of the « places to be » for musicians, composers and ensembles involved in new music : during its stay in Darmstadt, Linea participates to several workshops for young composers, and premieres a contemporary opera written by Arthur Kampela, a brazilian composer living in New York, whose reputation in Europe is on the rise, thanks to Linea who performed already several of his works.
Linea is also expected in Cairo, Alexandria (Egypt), and Beijing (China) in 2012.
In its hometown Strasbourg, Linea is regularly taking part to famous Musica Festival (2011, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2002), which has closely followed up and highlighted the ensemble’s rise. New concert by Linea is planned in 2012 at famous Strasbourg based festival.
Linea has already given concerts in the most renowned venues and cultural institutions like, for instance : Lincoln Center in New York, Buffalo University (USA), Romanian Atheneum in Bucharest, Royaumont Abbey (France), Südwestrundfunk Studio (Germany), Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music (Belgium)…
Very well connected into musical industry and networks, Linea has developed tight collaborations with several Ensembles : Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble (2012), Talea from New York (2011), TIMF Ensemble from Korea (2010), Experimentalstudio from southwest german radio (2008), Proxima Century from Bordeaux- France (2006-2007)…
Thanks to its excellent reputation, Linea integrates into numerous residences, masterclasses, workshops and educational programmes like the recent ones in Royaumont (France), June in Buffalo (USA), and the upcoming Ferienkurse in Darmstadt (Germany).
Media coverage
Thanks to an extensive publicity made by the ensemble, medias are following Linea’s activity from its very beginning.
The recent developments on the international scene have been well covered by the press. For instance, Linea’s US tour has been intensively reviewed in the American medias, with, among others, good articles in the New York Times and Time Out…quite a scarce treatment for a french ensemble who was not so renowned in the United States, before performing in both New York and Buffalo.
Linea’s last CD has been reviewed in the whole Europe by several newspapers, magazines, portals, blogs.
Regarding radios, Linea’s work is now very well followed in France by France Musique (French public broadcasting devoted to classical music), whose broadcast “Les lundis de la Contemporaine” (“Mondays of new music”) has been covering and retransmitting most of the recent Linea’s concert in France. In Switzerland, DRS 2, and, in the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 3, have retransmitted Zurich and Huddersfield performances respectively.
This excellent media coverage contributes to Linea’s both visibility and reputation in the musical landscape.
Champs Libres : Linea organises its own festival
Champs Libres : Affiche 2010
Since 2003, Linea has been organizing its own festival called Champs Libres (Literally: “Free Fields”, a French expression meaning an idea of freedom of action, open ways…), a biennale taking place in June in Strasbourg. The event is a showcase for the work of the Ensemble, which presents several concerts.
The festival advocates a deep multicultural dimension, presenting unknown contemporary repertoires from different parts of the world: in 2010, corean scene with at the bill of the festival, with the exclusive presence of the TIMF Ensemble from Tongyang, beside Linea. Upcoming edition in 2012 focuses on Egypt and the arabic world, in cooperation with the Egyptian Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Alongside the concerts, the Détours de Champs Libres (“Detours of Free Fields,” a fringe-festival) opens up original links to other art forms and to other types of music, by bringing together numerous cultural and associative partners. A “local” artistic rendezvous, Champs Libres is a festival which reinvents itself every year, each time attracting an audience that has grown in number and diversity.
Totally
convinced that music should be the source of transversal experiences, Linea has
initiated many crossover projects mixing dance, theatre, multimedia,
traditional and contemporary music.
In
1999, Linea presented a scenic production of “Pierrot Lunaire”. In 2004, the
Ensemble performed Stockhausen’s KURZWELLEN in collaboration with the
Hoogenraad company which created a dance adaptation of the music. Furthermore,
in 2007, Linea premiered “For what they are” by Bernd Schultheis, a show mixing
music, live electronics, dance and video installations. As Linea also has a
strong interest for traditional arts and intercultural exchange, the Ensemble
worked together with a Nô dancer from Japan and also with a Seungmu dancer
(Korean dance performed by Buddhist monks). The second project led to the
creation of a new piece especially written for this dance by Korean composer
Hyun Wha Cho.
(c) Photo : Alex Florès
Education and transmission
Enlarging
the audience of contemporary music also means addressing the public of
tomorrow.
With
“Stockhausen for kids”, a 45 minutes show for two musicians, Linea meets a new
challenge: introducing a young audience to highly complex music. Through a
relevant choice of pieces and an effective direction and lighting, the show is
an amazing success that reaches beyond young audiences, even if consisting of
30 minutes of pure Stockhausen.
Commited players
Linea
pays particular attention to its musical team. The soloists of the Ensemble
have not only achieved an outstanding instrumental level, a broad experience
and a masterly technique to do justice to the demanding repertoire: they are
also personally dedicated to defend the contemporary repertoire. In order to
understand the composer’s vision and to reproduce his music down to the last
detail, they invest a lot of time and energy in practising and rehearsing.
“Ensemble-in-residence”
From
September 2006 to July 2008, Ensemble Linea was in residency at the “Dominicains
de Haute Alsace” in Guebwiller (eastern France), where they developed in
particular a work centred on new technologies. This project highlighted several
works by Reich, Stockhausen and Varèse, relating them to contemporary
electro-acoustic pieces and to electronic music deemed to be “popular.”
Ensemble
Linea itself organized a residency during 2007-2008, with the support of the
European Social Fund. Linea accompanied the creative work of eight young
composers from France and abroad in order to facilitate their entry into
professional networks. In June 2008, the eight new works written during the
residency were performed by Linea during Champs
Libres.
Currently,
Ensemble Linea has a five year residency at the Royaumont Abbey (Val d’Oise),
where it is required for concerts (composition workshop with, among others,
Brian Ferneyhough, Liza Lim, Francesco Filidei, Isabel Mundry) ; for
masterclasses (including a conducting masterclass with Peter Eötvös in 2013) ;
for educational programmes ; and for the first performance of Xavier Dayer’s opera
in 2013.
Engaged in local cultural life
Beside its concerts in the biggest festivals worldwide, Linea is deeply engaged into the local cultural life in Alsace. A particular effort is put into enlarging the audience of contemporary music, by performing it in places and areas where this music is rarely present. This cultural policy is made possible by networking numerous partners who cooperate with Linea for years : universities, foundations, public libraries, music schools, municipalities and cultural institutions...In many of these cases, concerts are completed by conferences, workshops, public rehearsals and educational programmes.
This cooperation has enhanced Linea’s both activity and visibility in the region, giving to the ensemble the opportunity to go beyond the circle of connoisseurs.
Discography
Ivo Malec - Œuvres pour orchestre et formations de chambre
Double CD
Edition Motus
Distribution France Abeille Musique
Année 1999
