Concert, Saturday 20 October 2012, 12:00-12:45
Location: Haitinkzal, Amsterdam Conservatory
AMSTERDAM COLLAGE ENSEMBLE
Eva Gemeinhardt, Sarah Jeffery, Anna Stegmann: blockflute
Anna voor de Wind: clarinets
Ryoko Imai and Michel Zanders: percussion
Konradin Herzog: director
Yu Oda: artistic direction
Programme:
Benjamin Scheuer (*1987): Inseln (2012)
Yu Oda (*1983): The Scheme of the Sea Organ (2010) Work nominated for the Gaudeamus Composition Prize (2011) and Toonzetters Prize (2012)
Raffaele Grimaldi (*1980): Syntagma V (2012)
Andys Skordis (*1983): Happening... but not... kjkjk (2012)
The Amsterdam Collage Ensemble (ACE) was formed in 2010 combining the contrasting sound-worlds of percussion, recorders and clarinet. The ensemble exists as a fluid and evolving entity, providing a platform for contemporary music involving conductors and composers as well as instrumentalists. Comprising musicians and compositional influences from three contintents, this collective aims to explore and inspire new works, expanding the repertoire for these lesser-known instrumental settings and forging new ground.
Most recent performances include appearances in the Gaudeamusweek Utrecht and the Holland Festival.
The title Inseln ('islands') refers to the compositional
process of the piece. First of all, four different blocks of
characteristic material were created. Mainly focusing on the
high register and sharp articulation, they are still shaped by
different instrumental colors such as woodblock accents,
four differently tuned piccolo recorders, short repetitions on
the head pieces or low glissando figures.
To create the form of the piece, these four blocks of music
were put into an imaginary basin and then flooded with
water. Depending on the consistency of the material the
blocks remained as one steady rock island in the water or
decomposed into different parts. One excerpt can even be
seen to float out to a totally different place in the piece.
The 'water' itself is another musical layer; at the beginning
it is mainly composed silence consisting of soft noises, that
slowly gets colored by low pitches throughout the piece.
YU ODA: THE SCHEME OF THE SEA ORGAN (2010)
This piece was inspired by the Sea Organ built in Zadar,
Croatia. The composition captures both the distorted and
repetitive sounds of the instrument, that become the two
main elements of the piece. In order to explore the organ's
sound effects, various sounds offered by the instruments of
the ensemble are used throughout the piece. These devices
are organized by constructing, altering, and developing the
structural repetition, which takes The Scheme of the Sea
Organ from a form that is not only mechanical, but also
personal. The piece has received honorable mentioned in
the 32nd Irino Prize and been nominated for the
Gaudeamus Prize 2011 and Toonzetters 2012.
RAFFAELE GRIMALDI: SYNTAGMA V (2012)
Syntagma V is the fifth piece from a whole cycle of
compositions called Syntagma. A syntagm (from the Greek)
is a string of words that forms a part of some larger
syntactic unit. It is a grammatical constituent, and could be
a word, phrase or clause forming part of a larger
grammatical construction.
A syntagmatic relationship is where signs occur in
sequence or parallel, and operate together to create
meaning. The sequential nature of language means that
linguistic signs have syntagmatic relationships. Thus, for
example, the letters in a word have syntagmatic
relationship with one another, as do the words in a sentence
or the objects in a picture. Syntagmatic relationships are
often governed by strict rules, such as spelling and
grammar. They can also have less clear relationships, such
as those of fashion and social meaning.
In this cycle of compositions I try to explore different
techniques and sonorities. As in a linguistic syntax they are
crossed by a sort of 'fil rouge', that binds every piece and
has the purpose to create a full sense at the end of cycle,
making every piece a study in continuous progress.
My compositional interest is focused here on the idea of
imbalance and extreme disequilibrium, intended as
rhythmic irregularity of the musical figures. There is
disharmony between the different gestures and techniques,
underlined by the varying use of tempo. Contrast, defined
as 'colored', plays an important role in this piece. A
continuous dialogue between light and shade builds a
gothic 'chiaroscuro'; at times very calm, distended, empty,
yet also violent, aggressive. The obsessive use of rhythms
is intended to underline the constant repetition of elements.
Born in Lefkosia, Cyprus, in 1983, Skordis was inspired to pursue music through
composing and playing electric guitar in the bands Off Tone Thieves and Spirits.
At the age of 18, he was obliged to follow military service, but was lucky enough
to join the military band as a euphonium player for two years.
At the age of twenty Skordis went to America to study jazz guitar, but soon
switched to composition and film scoring, under the tuition of Vuk Kulenovic
and Tibor Pusztai at the Berklee College of Music. After graduating in 2007, he
moved to Amsterdam in order to continue studying composition with Richard
Ayres and Wim Hendrickx, as well as Karnatic music with Rafael Reina.
Skordis concentrates on composing for acoustic instrumentations. After finishing
his studies in Amsterdam in 2011, he is active as a percussionist with the band
Payazen, as a Javanese gamelan player, and as a multi-instrumentalist with the
band Brain Masturbation.
“Happening…but not…kjkjk”
Waiting for it to happen…but not…kjkjk?
To avoid confusion we use the term 'Blockflute' for the musical instrument in English typically known as ‘Recorder’, since nowadays the word ‘Recorder’ mostly refers to recording devices (CD/DVD, etc).
