Concerts
Videokunst und Musik – Basel Sinfonietta
Concert: Video Art and Music
Titus Engel, Conductor
Basel Sinfonietta
Edgar Varèse: “Déserts” (with a film by Bill Viola)
Jannik Giger: “Blind Audition”* | CH
Helena Skljarov: NN for video and orchestra | CH
In cooperation with the Zagreb Music Biennale
Composition commissioned from Helena Skljarov by MBZ
* Composition commissioned by Basel Sinfonietta, made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
With support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
Where does the image end, and where does the sound begin? While film music and live-accompanied silent films have long demonstrated their interplay, this concert takes a decisive step further: it combines contemporary video art with contemporary music. Three works not only blur the boundaries between seeing and hearing, but dissolve them entirely.
Edgar Varèse was a pioneer in this field: With “Déserts,” the French composer wrote a visionary composition for wind instruments, percussion, piano, and tape in the 1950s. The latter element comes to the fore in three places: The work contains “interpolations”—that is, interruptions or insertions—in which these electronic recordings are played. Several decades after the composition was written, the Ensemble Modern discovered notes by Varèse indicating that a visual component had been intended for the work. In response, video artist Bill Viola created an accompanying film that completes Varèse’s vision.
The Basel-based artist Jannik Giger also takes sound and video art to a new level. Through the situation of the anonymous audition, his art film “Blind Audition” sheds light on power dynamics in the classical music world. Giger is creating an orchestral version specifically for this concert in collaboration with Richard Elliot Haynes. The live music breaks through the isolation of the media-based setting: in contrast to the solitary audition situation, the orchestra appears visibly as a collective. Thus, the entire hall—including the audience—becomes part of the whole: observing, participating… judging?
In keeping with the “Crossing Borders” program theme, the concert also transcends geographical boundaries. Together with the Zagreb Music Biennale, the Basel Sinfonietta presents a new work by Croatian composer Helena Skljarov, who has captivated audiences worldwide with her multidisciplinary, innovative approaches. As a result, this multifaceted, interdisciplinary program can be experienced not only in Basel but also as a guest performance in Zagreb.
Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.
Basel Sinfonietta
Edgar Varèse: “Déserts” (with a film by Bill Viola)
Jannik Giger: “Blind Audition”* | CH
Helena Skljarov: NN for video and orchestra | CH
In cooperation with the Zagreb Music Biennale
Composition commissioned from Helena Skljarov by MBZ
* Composition commissioned by Basel Sinfonietta, made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
With support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
Where does the image end, and where does the sound begin? While film music and live-accompanied silent films have long demonstrated their interplay, this concert takes a decisive step further: it combines contemporary video art with contemporary music. Three works not only blur the boundaries between seeing and hearing, but dissolve them entirely.
Edgar Varèse was a pioneer in this field: With “Déserts,” the French composer wrote a visionary composition for wind instruments, percussion, piano, and tape in the 1950s. The latter element comes to the fore in three places: The work contains “interpolations”—that is, interruptions or insertions—in which these electronic recordings are played. Several decades after the composition was written, the Ensemble Modern discovered notes by Varèse indicating that a visual component had been intended for the work. In response, video artist Bill Viola created an accompanying film that completes Varèse’s vision.
The Basel-based artist Jannik Giger also takes sound and video art to a new level. Through the situation of the anonymous audition, his art film “Blind Audition” sheds light on power dynamics in the classical music world. Giger is creating an orchestral version specifically for this concert in collaboration with Richard Elliot Haynes. The live music breaks through the isolation of the media-based setting: in contrast to the solitary audition situation, the orchestra appears visibly as a collective. Thus, the entire hall—including the audience—becomes part of the whole: observing, participating… judging?
In keeping with the “Crossing Borders” program theme, the concert also transcends geographical boundaries. Together with the Zagreb Music Biennale, the Basel Sinfonietta presents a new work by Croatian composer Helena Skljarov, who has captivated audiences worldwide with her multidisciplinary, innovative approaches. As a result, this multifaceted, interdisciplinary program can be experienced not only in Basel but also as a guest performance in Zagreb.
Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.