Earlier this week the shortlist was announced for next year’s Gaudeamus Prize, the leading international composition prize for young composers. This video gives a little insight into the judging process from the three jury members, Peter Adriaansz, Annelies van Parys and Dmitri Kourliandski:
A list of the 13 shortlisted compositions follows. I’ve included website and soundcloud links wherever I can find them; I recommend listening to what you can – there are some fantastic pieces in here.
Abel Paúl (1984, Spain): The end of lines – 2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets, alto sax, percussion, harp, piano, celesta, harpsichord, cello
Alexander Khubeev (1986, Russia): Sounds of the dark time – oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello
Amit Gilutz (1983, Israel): The Task of Interpretation (a counterpoint to Edward Said) – prepared string quartet, gamelan and electronics
Clara Iannotta (1983, Italy): D’après – flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello
Daniel Moreira (1984, Brazil): The King from Papatua – ensemble and baritone
Elena Rykova (1991, Russia): The Mirror of Galadriel – 2 performers on fir and pine tree cones, table tennis table
Emre Kaleli (1987, Turkey): Il voto dell’innocenza – 2 clarinets in B-flat (or 2 soprano saxophones), sine waves, midi keyboard, piano, percussion, electric guitar, double bass (or electric bass with e-bow)
Esaias Järnegard (1983, Sweden): Order, part 1 – flute and percussion
Germán Alonso (1984, Spain): So f**king easy – bass clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, contrabass
Gijs van der Heijden (1982, The Netherlands): Our Primary Differences – electric guitar and piano
Jacob Gotlib (1984, USA): Portrait Sequence (Blanching Out) – percussion duo
Taylor Brook (1985, Canada): Motorman Fragments – SATBar, clarinet, cello, guitar, percussion
Tobias Klich (1983, Germany): Grüntrübe Ritornelle beim Verlassen des Territoriums – prepared, amplified guitar and electronics
Update, 2 Nov 2012: Shortly after I published this post, a few comments appeared on Twitter about the shortage of female representation in this list. See the follow-up here.
The Rambler 