Sound Pigments
This masterclass offers a practical introduction to contemporary compositional thinking through selected works by Witold Lutosławski. At its heart lies the question of how the organisation of pitch can be used as both a creative and structural force in music today.
The course is divided into two parts. First, participants will explore Lutosławski’s principal compositional strategies through listening and analysis. They will then put these ideas into practice in a creative workshop, composing a solo piano piece of approximately one minute in length.
Selected compositions will be rehearsed and performed on the spot by a pianist, creating a direct dialogue between analysis, composition and the experience of sound. The masterclass is aimed at young composers, encouraging them to develop their own musical voice and engage with fundamental ideas in 20th- and 21st-century music.
Rouzbeh Rafie is an Iranian-born composer based in the Netherlands. His music brings together literary and folk influences with explorations of memory, time and perception. Following studies in Tehran and Rome, he graduated with distinction from the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in 2018.
His works have been performed internationally, including in Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague and Miami. In 2021, he won the Musequal Composition Competition and served as Composer-in-Residence at the festival from 2022 to 2024. His collaboration with pianist Alexandra Sostmann in 2024 led to his appointment as Composer-in-Residence for the inaugural German edition of Bach & now!.
