Athelas Sinfonietta

Adrian Boult Hall

When Voi(rex) was first performed in Paris in 2003 it created a sensation overnight. Philippe broke new ground by creating a seamless integration between voice, electronics and live instruments on stage. Technology becomes part of the vocal and instrumental gestures in such an effective and convincing way that we are left in awe of the composer's command of his tools.

Tierkreis ("Zodiac") is not what you would normally expect from Stockhausen, the most influential and controversial composer of the 20th century who passed away last December. Tierkreis is a modular collection of simple melodies for a variable number of instruments. Like Luciano Berio's Folk Songs, another "easy piece" from an avant-garde composer, Tierkreis is one of the most widely performed works by Stockhausen.

The Danish composer Rosing-Schow explores in Voix intérieures the ’inner voices’ of the mind - sudden impulses, feelings, dreams - and the ’inner voices’ of the music - interval patterns, sonorities and dynamic relations, drawing poignant parallels between these two dimensions.

Integra 2008 brings to Birmingham five leading contemporary music ensembles in an exciting programme of new works and existing repertoire with live electronics, with a special focus on mixed media performances.

• www.integralive.org/festival-2008.
• newgenerationarts.co.uk/events/integra-2008