Sun 6.9.
7:30 PM

Lentos Kunstmuseum, Brucknerhaus, Donaupark

“Pursuit of the Unheard”

Supported by the Max Brand Archive

The Ars Electronica Festival is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2009. Looking back on the festival’s musical history, we’re immediately struck by its extraordinary diversity: early electronic rock, play-along concerts featuring home-brew instruments, the Steel Symphony and the Steel Opera … Music is at the heart of this festival. The urge to discover new musics, to pioneer the exploration of fresh musical realms, to undertake daring tonal experiments is still undiminished. The pursuit of yet unheard music is ongoing.

This concert evening will be the seventh such expedition in quest of innovation. The separate concert staged in prior years to showcase current trends in digital music with performances by Prix Ars Electronica prizewinners is being integrated into the 2009 big evening concert; the result is a lineup dedicated to both the past and the present. During the first half of the evening, new technologies will share center stage with traditional genres and instruments: an “opera” performed by a tiny wireless-controlled plastic bunny, and a violin ensemble combined with 1-bit music. Audiences will then be treated to orchestral pieces by Arvo Pärt, Alan Hovhaness and Norbert Zehm visualized in ways that bring out never-before-discovered ways of seeing these sounds. The Klangpark will be filled with Bill Fontana’s sound sculptures that translate the chiming of Big Ben from the Thames to the Danube in ways that are as surreal as they are impressive. No less striking is the sound of the Max Brand synthesizer, which would actually qualify as an object in a historical exhibit but Elisabeth Schimana is still able to coax new sounds out of the old machine. The innovative acoustic combinations of Christian Fennesz paired with Lillevan’s fascinating visualizations wrap up the pursuit of the unheard for the time being …

Program

7:30 PM, Lentos
Antoine Schmitt, Jean-Jaques Birgé: NABAZ’MOB
Prix Ars Electronica 2009, Digital Musics, Award of Distinction

8:00 PM, Lentos
Tristan Perich: „Active Field“ for ten violins and ten-channel 1-bit music
Prix Ars Electronica 2009, Digital Musics, Award of Distinction

Performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz / Dennis Russell Davies (US/AT)
Space in Lentos is limited.

8:40 PM, Brucknerhaus, Foyer
Arvo Pärt: Arbos für 8 Blechbläser und Schlagzeug (1977/1986)

Performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz / Dennis Russell Davies

8:45 PM, Brucknerhaus, Großer Saal
Arvo Pärt: Concerto piccolo über B-A-C-H, für Trompete, Streichorchester, Cembalo und Klavier (1964/1994)

Performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz / Dennis Russell Davies

Cembalo: Maki Namekawa (JP/AT)
Trompete: Gerhard Fluch (AT)
Visuals by: Nanook feat. System Jaquelinde

8:55 PM, Brucknerhaus, Großer Saal
Alan Hovhaness: Lousadzak (Coming of Light), für Klavier und Streichorchester op. 48

Performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz / Dennis Russell Davies; Klavier: Maki Namekawa; Visuals by Kenneth Huff (UK)

9:20 PM, Klangpark, Donaupark
Bill Fontana: Speeds of Time
Prix Ars Electronica 2009, Digital Musics, Golden Nica

9:55 PM, Brucknerhaus, Großer Saal
Norbert Zehm: Symphonie „GAMES“ op. 45
Performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz / Dennis Russell Davies
Synthesizer/Electronics: Norbert Zehm
Visuals by Roland Schrettl

10:40 PM, Brucknerhaus, Foyer
Max Neuhaus: Radio Net (Ausschnitte)

10:50 PM, Brucknerhaus, Mittlerer Saal
Elisabeth Schimana: Höllenmaschine (Komposition für den Max Brand Synthesizer)
OperatorInnen: Manon Liu Winter, Gregor Ladenhauf

11:30 PM, Brucknerhaus, Foyer
Max Neuhaus: Radio Net (Ausschnitte)

11:40 PM, Brucknerhaus, Großer Saal
Christian Fennesz: fennesz with lillevan visuals
Visuals by Lillevan

Pursuit of the Unheard ist ein weiterer Schritt in der erfolgreichen Zusammenarbeit des Brucknerorchester Linz unter Dennis Russel Davies, dem Brucknerhaus Linz und Ars Electronica mit dem Ziel, neue Konzepte der Verbindung von Musik und neuen visuellen Ausdrucksformen zu erproben.

Curators: Dennis Russell Davies, Wolfgang Winkler, Heribert Schröder, Gerfried Stocker, Bianca Petscher

Project Management: Bianca Petscher