Irritatingly dense

It did seem a little spooky when only the musicians of the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra applauded. Especially as they were in the opening piece of the Tuns Contemporans had also been on stage. But without an audience in the hall, they were at the end of the applause chain. And what the soprano Irina Ungureanu had done shortly before during the world premiere of David Sontòn Caflisch's Isopor Oss simply demanded an ovation.

We learn to live with such disconcerting moments, as they are merely side effects of efforts to make the best of the current situation. And whether streaming concerts in front of empty seats is a solution is debatable in view of works that were written for a concert hall with an audience. But for a festival that was only launched two years ago and is now in its second edition, it is essential. Young plants need to be nurtured, especially those with a certain level of ambition. Not taking place is not an option.

The two professional orchestras of the canton of Graubünden, the Ensemble ö! and the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, formulated several ambitious goals. Artistic directors Philippe Bach and David Sontòn Caflisch wanted to set an example for more diversity in the still heavily male-dominated music scene with a call for scores aimed exclusively at female composers. In addition, commissions were issued to three generations of Graubünden composers, whose works were juxtaposed with pieces by Swiss and international greats, including the Englishman Thomas Adès, the South Korean Unsuk Chin and the Finn Magnus Lindberg. And last but not least, contemporary music was to be reintegrated into everyday concert life as a matter of course.

It is right to set high goals. And the fact that Magnus Lindberg, a star of the scene, could be won over as composer in residence confirms the organizers' high expectations. The only irritating aspect was the number of themes, as there were only four concerts spread over the weekend. This meant that virtually every concert had to cover or tick off all the topics, which seemed somewhat forced. But programs, no matter how coherent they may seem, lose their meaning anyway in view of the sounding reality of the music. What counts are the works and their interpretation, and here Tuns Contemporans much to offer.

This was already apparent after the aforementioned first piece and even more so after the entire opening concert. This was followed by the extremely expressive Isopor Oss with Thomas Adès' Lieux retrouvés for cello and orchestra is a piece of a completely different kind. Thanks to his relatively catchy works, Adès is one of the most successful protagonists of the profession. However, cellist Karolina Öhmann proved with her interpretation that this is not simply soft-spoken new music, as one might assume. The third movement in particular may be an example of this: The solo cello plays a constantly varied four-note motif throughout, two notes up / two notes down, developing a vibrating urgency. Impressive in its expressive economy.

You can see from Saturday's concert just how big the arc was that was spanned from Chur. On the one side Gougalōn by Unsuk Chin, a South Korean living in Berlin. In this extremely colorful, humorous and sometimes wild piece, the atmosphere of the markets from her childhood is evoked. The colorful hustle and bustle with street musicians and jugglers finds its counterpart in a duo for bottles and cans, among other things. But despite all the hustle and bustle, the mysteriously romantic also has its place: the second movement comes across as a barcarole with a Far Eastern touch, almost kitschy, were it not for the recurring dissonant chordal beats of the ensemble.

This tonal grab bag was contrasted by the world premiere of Martin Derungs' Changements. The composer once again impressed as a magician who knows how to develop larger forms from short figures. The title proved to be the program, the thoughts are in a constant flow, without ever swelling into the much-invoked stream. Rather, Derungs treats his material with extreme caution and restraint. As someone who knows that the sound figures he has devised work by themselves, if only they are given the space to unfold.

It was a pity that the works of the three winners of the Call for Scores were somewhat lost in the densely structured program. Vera Ivanovas Still Images had to hold their own between Chin and Derungs, which is no easy task. They virtually became victims of the high standard of the whole festival. A quiet criticism that one would wish on every event.