Composer Thomas Adès Writes New Violin Concerto for Anne-Sophie Mutter

Adès' composition will premiere in the Summer of 2022 at Switzerland's Lucerne Festival

Thomas Adès was awarded the eleventh edition of the "Roche Commissions," which since 2003, has biannually commissioned a new musical work from a celebrated contemporary composer.

The organization collaborates with the Lucerne Festival and the Lucerne Festival Academy. 

Anne-Sophie Mutter will be joining the Lucerne Festival Foundation Board of Trustees in 2022  — becoming the only musician on the board, whose members are mainly in business and politics.

The selection of composers for the Roche series is decided with the suggestion of Lucerne Festival’s artistic directors. Previous commission recipients include Rebecca Saunders, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Chen Yi, Hanspeter Kyburz, George Benjamin, Toshio Hosokawa, Matthias Pintscher, Unsuk Chin, Olga Neuwirth, and Peter Eötvös.

Born in London in 1971, Thomas Adès studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a composer, conductor, and pianist, Adès was described by the New York Times as “one of the most accomplished and complete musicians of his generation.”

Adès recently composed a new cadenza to György Ligeti's Violin Concerto which was premiered by VC Artist Augustin Hadelich with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).

The winner of the 2015 Léonie Sonning Music Prize, Adès was the youngest recipient of the Grawemeyer Award in 2000. He is a former Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival and in 2018, was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Serving as BSO’s artistic partner since 2016, he currently leads the ensemble in Boston and at Tanglewood, in addition to directing its Festival of Contemporary Music. 

The “Roche Young Commissions” went to composers Hovik Sardaryan and David Moliner. They will collaborate with musicians of the Lucerne Festival Academy and its Artistic Director, Wolfgang Rihm. Their works will receive world premieres during the 2023 Summer Festival.