Academy

The impuls Academy 2025 piano class, led by Nicolas Hodges, will encourage the rooting of praxis in reflection, opened out to discussion with fellow pianists, and with any composers who may attend. The themes covered in discussion (usually at the piano) will be led by participants’ repertoire and individual needs.

Participants are asked to prepare at least three contrasting works after 1945, including one the applicant considers a "classic” and one recent one from their country of birth/residence/studies.

Participants will also be included in a couple of Special Programs as offered at the Academy (such as Call for Scores and Sketches for Piano . Solo or for Four Hands, Trio Accanto . Call for Scores + Reading Sessions + Feedback, Call for Duos for Voice + Piano or Saxophone or Double bass) and partly also work together with the vocalists for vocal accompaniment.

There will of course be performance opportunities also for pianists at the impuls Festival, limited by space.

 

An active repertoire that encompasses such composers as Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Debussy, Schubert and Stravinsky reinforces pianist Nicolas Hodges’ special prowess in contemporary music. As Tempo magazine has written: "Hodges is a refreshing artist; he plays the classics as if they were written yesterday, and what was written yesterday as if it were already a classic."

Born in London and now based in Germany, where he is a professor at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart, Hodges approaches the works of Classical, Romantic, 20th century and contemporary composers with the same questing spirit, leading the Guardian to comment that: "Hodges' recitals always boldly go where few other pianists dare ... with an energy that sometimes defies belief."

As a concerto soloist, Nicolas Hodges past and imminent engagements include performances with US orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, MET Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, St Louis Symphony, and with European orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Bamberger Symphoniker, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, London Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, ÖRF Radio Symphony Vienna, Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxemburg, Philharmonia, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden Freiburg, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and ensembles such as ASKO/Schoenberg Ensemble Amsterdam, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Contrechamps Geneva, International Contemporary Ensemble Chicago and the Remix Ensemble in Porto. Among the distinguished conductors with whom Nicolas Hodges has collaborated are Thomas Adès, Marin Alsop, Daniel Barenboim, George Benjamin, Martyn Brabbins, Hans Graf, James Levine, Susanna Mälkki, Jonathan Nott, Tadaaki Otaka, Emilio Pomarico, David Robertson, Pascal Rophé, Peter Rundel, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leonard Slatkin, Pierre-André Valade, Ilan Volkov and Ryan Wigglesworth.

In recent seasons, Hodges has become especially closely associated with the piano concertos of Elliott Carter (in 2004), Beat Furrer and Thomas Adès, with Hodges giving the premiere of the British Composer’s "In Seven Days" in London in April 2008. Other recent premieres include concerti written especially for Hodges by Georges Aperghis, Gerald Barry, Harrison Birtwistle, Francisco Coll, Hugues Dufourt, Pascal Dusapin, Luca Francesconi, Beat Furrer, Isabel Mundry, Brice Pauset, Rolf Riehm, Wolfgang Rihm, Rebecca Saunders, Salvatore Sciarrino and Miroslav Srnka.

As a recitalist, he has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall (New York), IRCAM (Paris), Wigmore Hall (London) and his festival appearances have included the BBC Proms, Berlin (Musikfest), Brussels (Ars Musica), Cologne (Acht Brücken), Hamburg (Ostertoene), Lucerne Festival, Madrid (INAEM), Melbourne International Arts Festival, New York (Mostly Mozart), Paris (Festival d’ Automne), Salzburg (Festival and Biennale), Strasbourg (Musica), Stuttgart (Eclat), Tanglewood, Tokyo, Vienna (Wien Modern) and Zurich (Tage für Neue Musik). In chamber music Nicolas collaborates regularly with the Arditti Quartet, Adrian Brendel, Colin Currie, Ilya Gringolts, Anssi Karttunen and as a member of the Trio Accanto. Recitals and chamber music concerts brought Nicolas Hodges to the Melbourne Recital Centre, Musikfest Berlin, Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti (IUC) Rome, Tonhalle Zurich as well as Musica Nova Festival Helsinki (Uusinta Ensemble), Kölner Philharmonie (Michael Wendberg) and many more.

Nicolas Hodges’ varied discography includes solo and concertante works by Adams, Adès, Birtwistle, Carter, Finnissy, Ferneyhough, Furrer and Rolf Riehm. Further CD releases include discs of Brian Ferneyhough on Neos, Walter Zimmermann on Mode and Harrison Birtwistle on Metronome.

 

nicolashodges.com