Hosted by Adam Sherkin
1001 Bloor Street West, Rear
Toronto, Ontario
Austrian composer and performance artist Karlheinz Essl from Vienna will be giving a presentation at Adam Sherkin's composer's forum. He will speak about his ideas on realtime composition and demonstrate his developments in generative and algorithmic music. Members of the JunctQín keyboard collective will be playing pieces form his Sequitur cycle, whereas the composer himself performs Lexikon-Sonate for computer-controlled piano.
Karlheinz Essl will speak about his compositions for keyboards and electronics, giving insights into his compositional ideas, his algorithmic concepts and the performance aspects of his music. This class will take place within a composition seminar, taught by Linda Catlin Smith; students of piano faculty Elaine Lau will also perform pieces by Karlheinz Essl. Open to all interested composers and musicians.
junctQín keyboard collective performs a portrait concert of Viennese composer Karlheinz Essl alongside the composer himself. This event is a culmination of a week-long residency by Essl, hosted by junctQín. Steeped in the language of serialism, Essl’s aesthetics address the lineage of the Second Viennese school, while bringing it into today’s society through his use of computer-generated soundscapes. The program will include two works for ensemble: Pandora’s Secret for music box and live electronics and the world première of juncTions for piano (2 players) and live electronics. The members of junctQín will also be featured individually; Sequiturs V, XIII and XIV are solos for toy piano, extended piano and kalimba with live electronics. Karlheinz Essl will be joining the ensemble in the performance of electronics.
juncTions (2011/2012) - premiere
for piano (2 players) and live-electronics
Elaine Lau, Joseph Ferretti: piano
Steph Chua: live-electronics
Biographies
Karlheinz Essl’s music has been the feature of many festival portrait concerts including the Salzburg Festival, Wien Modern (Vienna), Ars Musica (Brussels), and Festival de Música Electroacústica Querétaro (Mexico). He has served four years as composer-in-residence at the Darmstadt Summer Courses (1990 – 1994) and completed a commission for IRCAM Paris (1993). Essl has collaborated with some of the most important contemporary ensembles of our time, including the Arditti Quartet (London), Ensemble Intercontemporain (Paris), and Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt). Since 2007, Karlheinz Essl has been Professor of Electroacoustic Composition and Experimental Music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.
junctQín is a collective of pianists, Joseph Ferretti, Stephanie Chua and Elaine Lau. Founded in 2009, the ensemble’s mandate is to perform works of the 20th and 21st centuries, commissioning and collaborating with composers and artists of all genres. Recent collaborations include Canadian composers Alex Eddington, Aaron Gervais and the Toy Piano composers, along with Canadian multi-media artists Kenneth Doren and Derek Liddington. Performance highlights include recitals and projects presented by the Canadian Opera Company’s Four Seasons Centre, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, and Barrie’s Colours of Music Festival. junctQín has also engaged in many outreach events and activities, including the spOtlight Festival of Ontario, Culture Days in Toronto, and school workshops.
junctQín’s individual members are all active individually in activities ranging from solo recitals, to performances as concerto soloists, to performances with ensembles such as the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Contact Contemporary Music, the Talisker Chamber Players, and in such festivals as the Music Gallery’s X-Avant, the Open Ears Festival (Kitchener-Waterloo), NUMUS (KW), the CMC’s New Music in New Places and many others.
Fontana-Mixer (2004-2012)
generative sound environment after "Fontana Mix" (1958) by John Cage
Thu, 8 Mar 2012, 20:00
Donaueschingen, Donauhallen - Strawinsky Saal (D) die neue reihe
Zwei Exzentriker der Blechblaskunst prägen das ars nova Konzert von SWR2 innerhalb der "neuen reihe": Marco Blaauw, der niederländische Wundertrompeter mit seiner Doppeltrichtertrompete und seinem Vierteltonflügelhorn und Klaus Burger mit seiner kaleidoskopartigen Instrumentenkombination bestehend aus Tuba, Didgeridoo, Cimbasso und Live-Elektronik, die durch den österreichischen Komponisten Karlheinz Essl nachdrücklich ins Geschehen eingebracht wird. Freuen Sie sich auf ein Konzert, bei dem sowohl höchste spieltechnische als auch musikalische Virtuosität im Zentrum stehen, unterhaltsam und anregend zugleich. Ob nun die sonorsten Klänge, die schmutzigsten Geräusche, die schnellsten oder langsamsten Tempi, die höchsten oder tiefsten Lagen - alles ist möglich, alles geschieht aber nur im Interesse der Musik, die wiederum sich nur dann von ihrer virtuosen Seite zeigt, wenn es im Sinne ihres Ausdrucks, und nicht nur leerer, hohler Schein ist.
ESSL.BURGER
Dialogues between brass and electronics
Klaus Burger: tuba, cimbasso, didgeridoo, bottle, flute
Dionysisches und Apollinisches vereinen sich zur Zeit der aufkommenden Frühlingsgefühle, wenn in der modernen Architektur des Loisium mitten in den Weinstöcken die Gaumenfreuden des dort angebauten Weines mit kulturellen Genüssen angereichert werden. An vier Tagen werden Alte Musik aus allen vier Himmelsrichtungen mit literarischen Lesungen und zeitgenössischer Musik zu einem schmackhaften Cuvée verschnitten. Der künstlerische Kellermeister hat als Composer in Residence Karlheinz Essl gewählt, der dem Festival zwischen 22. und 25. März die aktuelle Note verleihen wird.
An den ersten drei Abenden wird eine Auswahl an Werken für Streichinstrumente aus Essls Schaffen aus den 1990er Jahren präsentiert. Darin konzentriert sich der Komponist auf die vielfältigen Spielweisen und Klangmöglichkeiten der Familie der Saiteninstrumente – vom Solostück über ein Duo bis hin zu einem Trio kehrt er durch vielfältige Techniken das Spezifische der einzelnen Instrumente hervor und lässt sie in der Kombinationen hoher und tieferer Vertreter in Dialog treten. So übernehmen Instrumente etwa nach und nach die Spielweisen des Gegenübers oder wechseln sich in unterschiedlichen Konstellationen ab. Doch nicht immer verläuft die Kontaktaufnahme konfliktfrei, sie kann zu spannungsgeladenen Verläufen führen und manchmal auch von musikalischem Geschehen gestört werden.
Doch ein Porträt Karlheinz Essls wäre nicht vollständig, würde er nicht auch als Improvisator selbst in Erscheinung treten, ist das Schaffen aus dem Moment heraus doch ein wesentlicher Teil seines künstlerischen Wesens, als welches er sich alleine oder gemeinsam mit Kollegen auf die Inspiration aus der Spontanität heraus verlässt. Einen erprobten Widerpart findet er in der Stimmkünstlerin Agnes Heginger, mit der er nicht zum ersten Mal auf der Bühne steht und mit der er unter dem Titel „Out of the Blue“ Gedichte spontan vertonen wird.
Auf eine interessante Auseinandersetzung darf man sich auch zwischen den zeitgenössischen und den älteren gespielten Werken gefasst machen, denn wenn Essl auf Monteverdi, Smetana oder Webern trifft, wird man auch die zuvor als bekannt geglaubten Werke in einem anderen Licht erblicken – literatrische und kulinarische Neudeutungen inklusive.
Karlheinz Essl: keynote presenter and composer-in-residence
INTER/actions will be a three-day symposium and mini-festival focusing on performance and interaction in electronic music. We aim to provide an environment to exchange ideas and instigate collaborations for composers, performers, sound artists and music technologists interested in the role of the performer in electronic music, whether in the traditional sense, or audience-as-performer.
Víctor Trescolí, Spanish pianist from Valencia, is giving a solo recital with compositions by the Austrian composer Karlheinz Essl which are focussing on his works for toy piano and electronics. The next day, Mr. Essl is giving a masterclass about the music that has been played the evening before, providing insights into his compositional concepts and the algorithms that he has developed for the electronics.
for toy piano, dreidel, music box with live-electronics and surround sound
Víctor Trescolí: toy piano & live-electronics
Masterclass: Music for Keyboards and Generative Live-Electronics
28 Apr 2012, 11:00-12:30
Universitat Politècnica de València
Telecommunication Engineering School
Classroom 2.3
Biographies
Karlheinz Essl was born 1960 in Vienna. At the University of Music in Vienna he studied composition with Friedrich Cerha, electro-acoustic music and double bass. At the University of Vienna he wrote his musicological doctoral thesis on the late compositions of Anton Webern.
His work with computers (with emphasis on Algorithmic Composition) and a prolonged occupation with the poetics of serial music have been a formative influence on his compositional thinking. Besides writing instrumental music, Karlheinz Essl also works in the field of electronic music, interactive realtime compositions and sound installations. Since the early 1990's he has developed software environments for interactive algorithmic composition in real time which he uses for his own live performances and also in collaboration with artists from other fields (choreographers, dancers, visual artists and poets).
1990-94 „composer in residence” at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik. 1992-93 work on a commission at IRCAM (Paris). 1997 Essl was featured at the Salzburg Festival with portrait concerts and sound installation. Between 1995-2006 Essl was teaching „Algorithmic Composition” at the Studio for Advanced Music & Media Technology of the Anton Bruckner University in Linz. Since 2007 he is professor of composition for electro-acoustic and experimental music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
Víctor Trescolí Sanz is a pianist with a special interest in presenting contemporary works alongside traditional repertoire. After his studies in Spain he moved to the Netherlands to follow his carrer doing a Master in music by Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CVA) and Master by Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). Among his teachers are Brenno Ambrosini, David Kuyken, Hakon Austbo and Ralph van Raat. At same time he studies harpshichord with Johan Hoffman and pianoforte with Baart van Oort. Awarded by Jaques Vonk Foundation (the Netherlands) and by IVM (Instituto Valenciano de la Música) and Spanish government to follow his studies, first price in Chamber music competition (Academia Valenciana de la Música) with Art! Trio.
In addition to solo recitals, Víctor enjoyed collaboration with Avlitria Ensemble, CVA- New muziek ensemble (Harry Sparnaay), Alart quartet, Sorolla ensemble, he has a duo with cellist Josep Trescolí Sanz and is founding member of Art! Trio which focuses on the repertoire for violin, cello and piano. and of ensemble Grup Mixtour as well. Victor research presents a variety of studies, which are about “Dies Irae in Rachmaninov”, an interpretation studie of Mompou’s Música Callada (“SILENT MUSIC: Federico Mompou’s Música Callada”. CVA Research Symposium 2010, Holanda), “Toy piano, juguete e intrumento” (research about history, interpretation and repertoire for Toy piano), today he is joining an UPV doctorate programm in contemporary music.
Sequitur XIV (2008)
for kalimba and live-electronics
For tonight’s concert, the Ensemble makes use of Karlheinz Essl’s ‘Fontana Mixer’, which generates the work in real-time from pre-selected soundfiles – a far cry from Cage’s original rendering of the piece, which took months to painstakingly prepare. The soundfiles used for the generation of Fontana Mix in this performance included a recorded improvisation by the Ensemble from December 2011, and a couple of stories read by John Cage from his recorded work Indeterminacy.
whatever shall be (2010)
for toy piano, dreidel, chop sticks, music box and live-electronics
OUT OF THE BLUE: Agnes Heginger (Stimme) und Karlheinz Essl (Elektronik)
Spontan-Vertonung des Gedichts Wenn du mich anrufst von Peter Turrini
Stadtmuseum St. Pölten, 21.10.2012
Sequitur XII (2009)
for harpsichord and live-electronics
Philharmonie Luxembourg is celebrating the 100th birthday of John Cage with a lot of concerts in many different performances spaces. Within this context, the first Toy Piano World Summit is taking place where toy pianists and composers from all over the world are coming together, performing and exchanging their works. For this festival, Karlheinz Essl was commissioned to compose a new piece for four toy pianos which will be premiered at the beginning of the festivals. Afterwards, Isabel Ettenauer is playing a short solo recital dedicated to Essl's compositions for toy pianos and electronics.
