Claron McFadden & Ensemble TaCTuS

Anyone who has seen Paolo Sorrentino’s film Youth will doubtless remember David Lang’s melancholy soundtrack. This American composer knows the classical tradition like the back of his hand, but is always searching for new forms. His work defies all categorisation. Inspiration can be found anywhere, from an everyday family game (in little eye) to opera (in prisoner of the state, inspired by Beethoven’s Fidelio) and the Song of Songs (in just). The sounding result is always as mesmerising as it is generous. Festival artist Claron McFadden pays tribute to this extraordinary composer, with whom she has a close musical connection. Along with the young singers Maris Pajuste and Maria Eichler, clarinet player Jean-Marc Foltz and percussionists from the Ensemble TaCTuS, McFadden explores David Lang’s multifaceted oeuvre. With the adventurous Aria by John Cage, a piece that has travelled along with her throughout her career, McFadden places her signature under this concert. 

Flagey, Klarafestival

‘With his winning of the Pulitzer Prize for The little match girl passion, Lang, once a postminimalist enfant terrible, has solidified his standing as an American master.’ — The New Yorker