Cotton Candy & Superheroines

Cologne’s former General Music Director Markus Stenz is utterly captivated by György Kurtág’s artistry of “saying so much with so few notes.” This minimalist expressiveness is also evident in Kurtág’s “Messages from the Late Miss R.V. Trussowa.” In addition, two new works by Żaneta Rydzewska and the Slovenian composer Alex Hren will be performed; these were created as part of the 2025 International ACHT BRÜCKEN Composition Competition and will now receive their world premieres. 

Żaneta Rydzewska is from Poland. She studied with Brigitta Muntendorf in Cologne until 2019, among others. She is the winner of the 2019 Bernd Alois Zimmermann Composition Prize awarded by the City of Cologne. In her music, she frequently addresses current social issues and interpersonal relationships. Her work *Superheroines* for ensemble mimics the expressiveness and mood of six women participating in a surrealistic conversation.

Alex Hren was born in Slovenia and began studying composition in 2021 at the Academy of Music at the University of Ljubljana under Vito Žuraj, among others. He is currently studying with Miroslav Srnka in Cologne. His new work, Cotton Candy, explores the vibrant essence of “amusement park machines” and links it to reflections on modern global themes.

Supported by the Kunststiftung NRW