The ALEA Ensemble is a chamber music ensemble founded in 1988 in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popu ...

for contemporary music, playing in variable formation including the ALEA Quartet.

History

The ensemble was founded in 1988 by composer and conductor

Gerhard Präsent Gerhard Präsent (born 21 June 1957) is an Austrian composer, conductor and academic teacher. Professional career Born in Graz, Präsent studied from 1976 at the Musikhochschule Graz, composition with Iván Erőd and conducting with Milan Horva ...

and his wife, violinist Sigrid Präsent.Alea Quartett
music information center austria The name is derived from the

aleatoric Aleatoricism or aleatorism, the noun associated with the adjectival aleatory and aleatoric, is a term popularised by the musical composer Pierre Boulez, but also Witold Lutosławski and Franco Evangelisti, for compositions resulting from "action ...

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 Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included se ...

, frequently in combination with traditional repertory. They played and recorded the second and third string quartet by

Iván Erőd Iván Erőd ( hu, Erőd Iván ; 2 January 1936 – 24 June 2019; sometimes spelled ''Eröd'') was a Hungarian-Austrian composer and pianist. Educated in Budapest, he emigrated to Austria in 1956, where he studied at the Vienna Music Academy. He ...

, string quartets by

, and the second to fourth string quartet by Herbert Blendinger.Alea Quartett Discography
music information center austria 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 Judenburg ( bar, Judnbuag) is a historic town in Styria, Austria. It is the administrative centre of the Murtal district, which was created on 1 January 2012 from the former Judenburg District and former Knittelfeld District. Until 31 Decembe ...

, 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 , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, "Musik-Forum München" in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

,Programm
Musik-Forum München Studio für neue Musik, Tonkünstlerverband München, 2 May 2011 the "Lutoslawski Festival" in

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...

, at the "Oaarwurm"-Festival in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

and at the Austrian Cultural Forum in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

as well as

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Their 2007 CD "Klassik meets Jazz" was reviewed in 2008 by Tim Homfray in "

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the large ...

": "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."Alea Quartett Presse
music information center austria Their performances have been broadcast by the

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of t ...

and by the

Bayerischer Rundfunk Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadca ...

. 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 trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...

s of

(''Trio intricato''), Herbert Blendinger (''Fantasie in G''),

Graham Waterhouse Graham Waterhouse (born 2 November 1962) is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, '' Three Pieces for Solo Cello'' and '' Variations for Cello Solo'' for his own instrument, and str ...

(''Bei Nacht'') and

(''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).
STB-News 1/2013

Recordings

* ''La Tâche'' ALEA-01-97, music of

, Herbert Blendinger, Jörg-Martin Willnauer, Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, 1997 * ''Sounds of Wood'' ALEA-02-99, seven works of

* ''ALEA-Quartett'' STB 05/01 (2 CDs) with Barbara Payer (flute), music of Johann Teibenbacher,

, Maximilian Kreuz, Viktor Fortin, Herbert Blendinger, Franz Zebinger,

Kurt Schwertsik Kurt Schwertsik (born 25 June 1935) is an Austrian contemporary composer. He is known for creating the "Third Viennese School" and spreading contemporary classical music. Life Schwertsik was born in Vienna. A pupil of Joseph Marx and Karl Schiske ...

, 2001 * ''...der Welt abhanden gekommen'' STB 05/08, with Alexander Puhrer (baritone), music of

, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Daniela Rusch,

, Gustav Mahler, including an arrangement of Mahler's

Rückert-Lieder ' (Songs after Rückert) is a collection of five Lieder for voice and orchestra or piano by Gustav Mahler, based on poems written by Friedrich Rückert. The songs were first published in ''Sieben Lieder aus letzter Zeit'' (''Seven Songs of Latter ...

for piano quartett by Präsent, 2005 * ''ALEA-Ensemble'' STB 07/01, with Christine Kügerl (harp), music of Kurt Anton Hueber, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Viktor Fortin,

, Franz Zebinger,

, Maximilian Kreuz, Hannes Kuegerl, 2007 * ''Klassik meets Jazz'' STB 08/01, with Berndt Luef (vibraphone), music of Gerd Noack,

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

, Berndt Luef,

, Hannes Kügerl,

among others, 2008 * ''Back from New York'' STB 08/07 (2 CDs) with Rita Melem (piano), music of Herbert Blendinger, Anselm Schaufler, Christoph Smola,

, Franz Zebinger, Charris Efthimiou,

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

/Gerhard Präsent, 2008 * ''ALEA Live 2009'' STB 09/07 with Edda König (piano), music of

, Viktor Fortin, Rudolf Hinterdorfer, Franz Zebinger, Herbert Blendinger, Georg Arányi-Aschner,

, 2009 * ''ALEA String Action'' STB 11/02 music of Georg Winkler, Henrik Sande, Igmar Jenner, Franz Zebinger,

Renaud Garcia-Fons Renaud Garcia-Fons (born December 24, 1962) is a highly accomplished French upright-bass player and composer. Career Garcia-Fons started his musical studies at an early age. At five years old he picked up playing the piano, switched to classic ...

, 2011 * ''Gerhard PRAESENT - String Music'' ALEA-03-11, music of

: string quartetts No.2-4, "Canzona op.50" for vl&vc, "Four Dances for Two Violins", 2011 * ''ALEA - Intricato'' STB 12/02 with Sigrid Präsent and Igmar Jenner (violin), Delphine Krenn-Viard (viola), Tobias Stosiek (violoncello) and Rita Melem (piano), music of

, Viktor Fortin, Dieter Zenz, Igmar Jenner, Wolfram Wagner, Herbert Blendinger, Charris Efthimiou and

, 2012 * ''Live String Action 2011'' ALEA-04-12 with ALEA-Ensemble Sigrid Präsent und Igmar Jenner (violin), Tobias Stosiek (violoncello), music of

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

, Franz Zebinger,

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist exampl ...

, Igmar Jenner,

and

, 2012 * ''BIG BEN - Back from London'' STB 13/01, ALEA with Edda König (piano), music of Kurt Anton Hueber, Charris Efthimiou, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Karl Haidmayer,

, Michele Trenti, Herbert Blendinger and Igmar Jenner, 2013 * ''1 – 2 – 3 Soli, Duos, Trios'' STB 13/10, music of

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an un ...

, Jenő Takács, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Viktor Fortin,

, Berndt Luef, Igmar Jenner and Wolfram Wagner, 2014 * ''Extravaganza'' STB 14/02 with Sigrid Präsent and Igmar Jenner (violin), Tobias Stosiek (violoncello) and Eduard Lanner(piano), music of Michael Wahlmüller, Henrik Sande, Wolfram Wagner, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Gerd Noack, Michele Trenti,

and

, 2014 * ''Big Apple'' STB 15/01 with Sigrid Präsent and Igmar Jenner (violin), Wolfgang Stangl (viola), Tobias Stosiek (violoncello) and Bernhard Riedler (piano), music of Bernhard Riedler, Walter Vaterl, Georg Arányi-Aschner, Franz Zebinger, Gerd Noack, Michele Trenti, Wolfram Wagner, Patrick Hahn and

, 2015

References

External links

ALEA
website
ALEA Quartett
music information center Austria
ALEA-Ensemble / ALEA-Quartett
Kultur Steiermark

Kulturserver Graz
“ALEA-Ensemble” Portrait 1988-2013
in "Mitteilungen des STB 1-2/2013, p. 21ff
“ALEA-Duo” Sigrid Präsent/ Violine, Rita Melem/ Klavier
biographies, Musiksalon Erfurt, Graz, 2010 {{authority control Austrian string quartets Contemporary classical music ensembles Musical groups established in 1988