ALEA Ensemble

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Austrian chamber music ensemble

title: "ALEA Ensemble" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["austrian-string-quartets", "contemporary-classical-music-ensembles", "musical-groups-established-in-1988"] description: "Austrian chamber music ensemble" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALEA_Ensemble" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Austrian chamber music ensemble ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox orchestra"]

FieldValue
nameALEA Ensemble
typeChamber ensemble for contemporary music
founded
locationGraz
music_directorGerhard Präsent
website
::

| name = ALEA Ensemble | type = Chamber ensemble for contemporary music | image = | caption = | alt = | founded = | disbanded = | location = Graz | concert_hall = | principal_conductor = | music_director = Gerhard Präsent | website = The ALEA Ensemble is a chamber music ensemble founded in 1988 in Graz for contemporary music, playing in variable formation including the ALEA Quartet.

History

The ensemble was founded in 1988 by composer and conductor Gerhard Präsent and his wife, violinist Sigrid Präsent. The name is derived from the aleatoric composition style, but can also be applied for variable combination of instruments for different works, such as the ALEA Quartet. The ensemble performs contemporary music, frequently in combination with traditional repertory. They played and recorded the second and third string quartet by Iván Erőd, string quartets by Gerhard Präsent, and the second to fourth string quartet by Herbert Blendinger.

The ALEA ensemble has performed at festivals in Austria, such as "Österreich heute" (Austria today) and "Hörgänge" (Paths of listening/hearing ducts) in the Wiener Konzerthaus, "Judenburger Musiksommer" in Judenburg, Carinthischer Sommer in Ossiach and styriarte. They have performed internationally at the festival "Nuovi Spazi Musicali" at the Forum Austriaco (Austrian Cultural Forum) in Rome, "Musik-Forum München" in Munich, the "Lutoslawski Festival" in Lublin, at the "Oaarwurm"-Festival in Berlin and at the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York City as well as London and Washington, D.C.

Their 2007 CD "Klassik meets Jazz"aleaquartett CD-507:NOACK-NELSON-LUEF-ERÖD-KUEGERL-PRÄSENT-ARÀNYI-ASCHNER Österreichische Zeitgenössische Musik, Austrian Contemporary Music was reviewed in 2008 by Tim Homfray in "The Strad": "Berndt Luefs At Nightfall and La Carretera are attractive and elegantly played; his Sonntag in der Kleinstadt for violin and vibraphone has Sigrid Präsent enjoying herself. [...] Iván Eröd's solo-violin GeburtstagsPRÄSENT [(a birthday present to Gerhard Präsent)], played with assured simplicity by Sigrid is followed by his Third String Quartet of 2003. This is a powerful and concentrated work, which the ALEA plays with tonal intensity and rhythmic vitality. ... Gerhard Präsent's own Canzona op.50 for violin and cello has a similar expressive economy. Here cellist Christian Peyr joins Sigrid Präsent for a performance particularly notable for the plaintive dialogue of the beautiful third movement Aria."

Their performances have been broadcast by the ORF and by the Bayerischer Rundfunk. A concert at the Musik-Forum München, Studio für neue Musik (studio for new music) was played by Sigrid Präsent (violin), Tobias Stosiek (cello) and Rita Melem (piano), and moderated by Gerhard Präsent. The program included piano trios of Gerhard Präsent (Trio intricato), Herbert Blendinger (Fantasie in G), Graham Waterhouse (Bei Nacht) and Iván Erőd (Trio). It was broadcast on 19 August 2011 in the series "Concerto bavarese" (Bavarian concert).

From 1993 to 2009 the ensemble performed preferentially as string quartet (also with additional piano), from 2010 to today mostly as string trio (two violins, cello), also with possible piano. The present line-up consists of Sigrid Präsent and Igmar Jenner (violin) with Tobias Stosiek (cello), facultatively with Wolfgang Stangl (viola) and Rita Melem (piano).

Recordings

References

References

  1. [http://db.musicaustria.at/en/node/30801 Alea Quartett] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-03-18 music information center austria)
  2. [http://www.doblinger-musikverlag.at/dyn/kataloge/wv_Eroed.PDF Iván Eröd / Werke bei / Music published by Doblinger] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-10-04 Doblinger)
  3. [http://db.musicaustria.at/en/node/30801#tabset-tab-4 Alea Quartett Discography] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-03-18 music information center austria)
  4. [http://www.adagentile.it/festival.htm Festival 2006] Nuovi Spazi Musicali, 2011 {{in lang. it
  5. [http://www.arbc.de/Waterhouse/pdf/2011-05-02%20Musik-Forum%20Programm.pdf Programm] Musik-Forum München Studio für neue Musik, Tonkünstlerverband München, 2 May 2011 {{in lang. de
  6. [http://www.simon-bw.de/de/aktuell.html OaarWurm – das etwas andere Festival für zeitgenössische Berliner Tonkunst (FR 5.6.2015 bis SO 7.6.2015)] {{webarchive. link. (July 8, 2015)
  7. "ALEA Ensemble / London Debut Concert".
  8. "String Action / with traditional and contemporary Austrian music".
  9. [http://db.musicaustria.at/node/30800#tabset-tab-5 Alea Quartett Presse] music information center austria
  10. (2011). "Concerto bavarese". Graham Waterhouse.
  11. (2011). "Concerto bavarese". [[Bayerischer Rundfunk]].
  12. [http://www.literature.at/viewer.alo?viewmode=overview&page=1&objid=1081233] STB-News 1/2013

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austrian-string-quartetscontemporary-classical-music-ensemblesmusical-groups-established-in-1988