Composer’s Garden III

The 3rd round of Composer’s Garden related explicitely to the 3rd nightloop with its subject of “Noise,Clicks&Classics”. I had a very agreeable interview with Carver Audain from NY via skype, and we talked about his work and the atmospheres connected to it. We touched on the intriguing thought that one can actually have a sound in mind – or maybe even only the notion of a sound – and the composition proceeds from there… from the imagination of a sound.

Audain ” is a self taught pianist, his earliest works are explorations in harmonics utilizing the piano, electronic organ, guitar and cymbals. Materially, he produces audio using digital signal processing and editing techniques on a variety of environmental and instrumental recordings. His recent works explore harmonic structures utilizing the “slow change music” method. In a live setting, he arranges and manipulates this material into situation-specific compositions. Sonically, he produces an array of slowly shifting sound fields that merge and transform within their physical surroundings.” (from http://www.carveraudain.com).

The CG III got completed by the works of Jaydea Lopez (Australia), Udo Noll (radio aporée), the Austrian composer Gerald Resch and by Wojciech Morawski from Poland.

Playlist:  ShellshoreGardens

Composer’s Garden II

Much to the delight of both ladies, the interview with  Susi Mahacke Produktion (Hamburg) touched the most interesting subjects: precision gardening, dependent flora, James Bond movies, satellite-monitored agriculture, folklore and garden fashion. SMP presented a specical mix version of her forthcoming album “Jardin oublié”. 

Susi Mahacke Produktion ist Susi Mahacke: Fiktive multiple Erscheinung – wandelt so durch Wiesen, Wüsten und Mauern.
Seit Mitte der 90er Jahre hat sich eine Arbeitsweise herauskristallisiert, bei der sich Medium und Kontext immer neu erst aus bestimmten Themen entwickeln. Nach Ausstellungs-Ensembles aus großformatigen Bildserien, Fotoinszenierung und Schnaps-Kreationen arbeitet Susi Mahacke heute mit komplexer Rauminstallation, Gärten, Performance, Video und ganz aktuell mit eigener Musik.

A piece by  Nikolaus Gerszewski, “Kodam Gobar” from his work series K187 completed Composer’s Garden II:

Kodam Gobar: The piece won the first price in the international composition-contest Fereydoon Moshiri, announced by the ensemble work in progress and Hamburger Klangwerktage 2011. I work here with a flexible interval notation. The musicians each have to fall self-responsibe decisions regarding the melodic progression of their part, thus generating aleatoric counterpoints and harmonies. Yet the piece’s materiality and structure are not affected by these decisions. Keeping the music in a permanent state of uncertainty about it’s own progression, I wish to prevent the emergence of routine, and establish a certain level of awareness.

Playlist:

Interview with Susi Mahacke: 22:22
Datscha-Mix:                               23:32
Kodam Gobar/Gerszewski        14:02

Composers Garden I

“Composer’s Garden” is an one-hour feature, from 10-11 pm. Part of each show is an interview with one of our OpenCall artists, and his/her works are introduced to the audience. This presentation is followed by a supplementary introduction of 1 – 3 other composers, usually with reference to the subsequent nightloop.

Composer’s Garden I:
OuthouseNightOperaGardenWalk

“How to built an Outhouse”. Interview with Dirk Hülstrunk. Frankfurt. Via Skype.

Playlist: PlaylistOuthouse

Nightloop #3: NoiseClicks&Classics

Whoever thinks of noise as a concept unfit for “the garden”, gardening or nature, is mistaken. Wind and waves are noise. The rustling of leaves is noise. Lawnmovers, saws and hedgecutters are noise. The neigbour’s radio sounds are “noise”. Noise could be defined as sound in absence of harmonic structures. Then again. Listen closely.

But what whim took over her to combine “noisy, electronic” tracks with contemporary classical music?
This was done to create a fitting pendant, or a counterpoint possibly. “Classical music” is usually connoted with “harmonic structures” and “harmonic structures” are deemed a lot more suitable for garden music… But just as with different gardening concepts there are different concepts of contemporary classical music. Be it the use of mathematical or aleatoric principles, of sung poetry, of experimental scores (for example the drawing of a leaf serving as a musical “instruction”), even the mix with “real” field recordings, not speaking of the actual situatedness of the concert/playback… almost every new school of music (from ages on) working in a different mode, seeking different harmonies has been attacked of creating “noise” .

Now, whether it is “noise”, drones, sinus waves, just “ugly” fieldrecordings, classical compositions bordering on atonality, orchestrated chaos or a meandering along a contrapuntal walk… with NoiseClicks&Classics you may continue to rely on your curiosity.

And for the beauty of it, I put some nightingale songs in it, too.

Featured composers are: Suspicion Breeds Confidence, Gerald Resch, Nikolaus Gerszewski, Miquel Parera, José Manuel Garcia, Udo Noll (radio aporée), Emanuele Constantini, William Engelen, Peter Cusack (Radio aporée), Wojciech Morawski, Daniel Blinkhorn, Carver Audain, Pit Schultz, Jaques Foschia, Toni Dimitrov, Attila Fias & John Kameel Farah, Stijn Demeulenaere, RawAudio.

Playlist: Playlist_Clicks