When people think of composers, they often think of the great names from the past. How would you explain to someone who may have never heard a contemporary piece what a composer actually does today?

That’s a good question, and an important one at that. The fact is that we have a limited repertoire of classical music composed in recent decades, and that a music lover cannot hear it all in a single lifetime. What is important for a composer is the ability to express their worldview, understanding, and experience through engagement with or the act of composing in musical form. This is not about increasing the quantity of music, but rather, from a contemporary perspective, about new ideas, new sensations, and personal experiences with the art of music—but also about conveying one’s perception artistically on a higher level.

You are composing a new piece for piano, chamber orchestra, and timpani for the festival. Can you give us a glimpse into how this piece is coming together?

This instrumentation is partly dictated by the festival. I added the timpani out of personal preference. In recent years, I have been focusing more on what is happening internally within the sound and how I might influence these processes to create a new, cohesive soundscape that forms a unified whole.

Is there a connection to Johann Sebastian Bach?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to discover Johann Sebastian Bach’s music during my childhood. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it—it’s due to historical circumstances. I was born in Beijing in the 1950s and grew up there until I began my music studies. His music wasn’t allowed in the 1960s and 1970s, neither on the radio nor in concerts—there was absolutely no opportunity to engage with his music. I didn’t really get to know his music until the late 1970s. After that, I found my musical home in Bach’s music—he is my favorite composer. It’s a mystery, but understandable. His music is universal for humanity and touches my spirit. This is how I see it: My composing is much more closely connected to Bach, even if this is difficult to trace formally, stylistically, and analytically. Music that transcends temporal constraints, religions, and regional and cultural boundaries—that is my wish.

You’ve often worked with unusual combinations of instruments in the past. What particularly appealed to you about the piano and timpani combination this time?

The timpani are not only powerful; they can also be very colorful, especially when integrated into the string section and combined with it. The piano has a familiar role in classical music, yet the notes in the lower register can sound particularly rich in overtones, almost like the ringing of church bells. From the low to the middle to the highest registers, a crystal-clear, brilliant, imaginative, cloud-like timbre emerges. In combination with the strings and timpani, this can create an entirely new sonic world.

What do you hope the audience will feel when they hear your new piece at the festival?

Composers are no different from anyone else—everyone is an individual. What makes composers different or special is their specific main occupation and form of expression: music. If you want to know what a composer does today, the most effective way is to experience their music—to maintain direct contact. This leads to attending a concert, but also to talking with the composer and asking questions. Most composers are eager for new experiences and “bold enough to take risks.” I’d like to emphasize one more thing: composing should not remain isolated, but rather be an integral part of our society. We are in the 21st century. The relationship between composer, work, and audience is different today than it was a hundred years ago. The great composers of that time could not foresee our era. As a listener or someone interested in music, it would be advisable to be a little “willing to take risks.” Take a look at least once at what composers are doing today—in other words, an “experiment” could also be a “discovery.”

Xiaoyong Chen

15.11.2025