electrocd

Firmament

Hans Tutschku

Tutschku makes a strong humanist case that transcends faith, ethnicity, and geography; in his mind, he’s clear that the voices “are joining to memorialise unity, and to rejoice.” The Sound Projector, UK

Firmament av ett omväxlande program, som dessutom fungerar utomordentligt hela vägen. Sound of Music, Sweden

  • Harvard

CD (IMED 15131)

  • Label: empreintes DIGITALes
  • IMED 15131
  • 2015
  • UCC 771028213122
  • Total duration: 61:22
  • OGpak
  • 125 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm
  • 50 g

On the web

Download (IMED 15131_NUM)

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In the press

Review

Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector, January 25, 2016

Three long pieces of electroacoustic composition from German composer Hans Tutschku on his Firmament (empreintes DIGITALes IMED 15131) collection received here 8th July 2015. As with many of the musicians on this label, he’s got a conservatoire / academic background, with highlights of his career including a three-year tour with Stockhausen (mainly to study the master’s ideas about sound projection) and earning his doctorate under Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham.

2010’s Firmament — Schlaflos is like an abstract painting with its strong contrasts of highs and lows, quiet and noisy passages; and it has that “rushing” effect as of music travelling along a long tunnel at high speed, which I’ve always associated with Parmegiani (I think this is where I first heard it; presumably it’s a matter of layering and vari-speeding). There may be some human voices in the mix, whimpering or bleating in awe of the cosmos. Tutschku manages to transcend his technique and arrives at something more than just a nice blend of drones and textures; it’s something to do with his ambitious theme, which is to describe the “universe of sound” that he believes is constantly playing inside every human being. He sees that as a good thing; we don’t need to be afraid of it, it means that there are no limits to our space.

2011’s Klaviersammlung is a piano piece of course. The composer describes it as “an outrageous sound travel into the world of piano”. Every time he went to the University of Cologne he walked a long corridor filled with decrepit broken pianos, and he imagined (it’s becoming clear what an old-fashioned romantic he is) that they still contained happy memories of the music that was once played on them. This composition is his bid to unleash those memories. The sounds he captured from the actual pianos after he raised their dusty lids was not apparently very “musical”, but it’s the studio assembly and processing that’s the relevant part of the work. Again, it’s large-scale, transformative, intuitive, exciting. Crazy arpeggios, impossible glissando statements; the ghost of Harry Partch walking through clouds in the stratosphere. Conlon Nancarrow was not invited.

2014’s Issho ni is perhaps the strongest work here. We might call it a “sampling” piece, except that word doesn’t begin to do justice to the care, attention and compassion with which Tutschku has diligently curated and assembled his collection of vocal recordings from around the world — songs, prayers, lullabies, folk singing, children’s songs — an ongoing project which he’s been doing since 2009. Using this personal library, he builds what he calls “an illusory celebration”, a vocal pan-cultural ritual in which the listener will slowly become involved as it unfolds. I suppose it’s “illusory” because these people (from varying cultures, histories, countries) have not only never met in real life, but may not even share any common ground, except in the idealised artistic space created by the composer. He’s done something similar in the past for Ailleurs-intérieur, where the recordings were combined with composed phrases and instrumental sounds, to create “utopian” musical works, and with Together which was used for a dance performance in Boston. Issho ni is a profoundly moving listen; without ever overstating his case, nor editorialising (something which Stockhausen could not resist doing on his 1960s epic work Hymnen), Tutschku makes a strong humanist case that transcends faith, ethnicity, and geography; in his mind, he’s clear that the voices “are joining to memorialise unity, and to rejoice.” Given the state of the world in 2016, can any political, economic or military agency say this?

Tutschku makes a strong humanist case that transcends faith, ethnicity, and geography; in his mind, he’s clear that the voices “are joining to memorialise unity, and to rejoice.”

Kritiek

Sven Schlijper, KindaMuzik, October 29, 2015

Wagenwijd staan de ogen open. Het is nacht, met een heldere sterrenhemel boven het hoofd. Onwillekeurig worden de lichtpunten verbonden door lijnen. Nieuwe beelden ontstaan. Geluiden die daarbij horen, verzin je in je eigen binnenste. Daarover communiceren is onmogelijk, bij gebrek aan beschrijvingen. Woordeloos woekert de verbeelding rond in deze nachtmerrieloze nacht. Het duurt nog lang eer de ochtend aanbreekt. Alleen met fantasie buitelen de meest fantastische klanken stil, maar niet onhoorbaar tussen de sterren. En daar componeert Hans Tutschku.

De Duitse geluidmeester is er vroeg bij. Al jong wordt hij professioneel actief in de muziek en van tournees met Stockhausen tot het Instituut voor Sonologie en Ircam bekwaamt hij zich in de kunst van elektronische meerkanaalspresentatie van composities. Tutschku onderzoekt in zijn werk nadrukkelijk de impact van intuïtie op computermuziek. Een kleine vonk aan inspiratie leidt hem op die golf door klankonderzoekingen. Zo triggeren piano’s die loos in een conservatorium staan het idee om de dromen van die desolate instrumenten hoorbaar te maken; de ‘onpianistische’ expressies, zoals Tutschku ze noemt. En de componist blijkt net als zijn luisteraar verbaasd over waar de research hem naar het innerlijk van de piano voert; stap voor stap verder op de sonische reis.

In ‘Issho ni’, het afsluitende van de verzameling van drie recente stukken op Firmament, plaatst Tutschku harmonie centraal. Die construeert hij uit slaapliedjes, folksongs, gezongen gebeden en kinderliedjes uit vele culturen. Tutschku probeert zo te komen tot een utopische eenheid waarin alle etniciteiten samen optreden en veren. Seculier en religieus vloeien samen, postmodern gecomponeerd en eeuwenoud ook, plus: de menselijke stem en elektronische (micro) bewerkingen. De compositie ademt intens ritueel. Niet in het minst omdat Tutschku deze live over vele kanalen om zijn publiek heen uitstuurt. Dat wordt zo passieve getuige van de omringende feestelijkheid; een jubelend Denkmal voor eenheid dat alleen in de verbeelding kan bestaan of muziek die zo tastbaar is als de halve bol die de sterrenhemel boven je vormt als je op je rug in het warme gras ligt?

Recensione

Michele Saran, Ondarock, October 22, 2015

Tedesco, esperto di sintetizzatore e live electronics, accompagnatore e assistente di Karlheinz Stockhausen, membro dell’Ensemble For Intuitive Music Weimar, frequentatore di svariati workshop europei, artista multimediale, Hans Tutschku prosegue con Firmament (seguito di Moment, 1999, e Migration, 2007) il ciclo ottennale delle sue raccolte personali.

Firmament — schlaflos, 20 minuti, è un poema acusmatico che alterna gradinate di dissonanze, anche atroci e raggiungenti masse critiche prima di detonare nel nulla, a una quiete canora totale, sorta di canto orfeico nell’Ade a redimere le belve primordiali, via via trasformate in lamenti di spiriti incorporei.

Alla fine le due dimensioni trasfigurano assieme. La mezz’ora dedicata alle voci umane Issho ni, suona come un marasma, a metà via tra messa universale e babele apocalittica, che raduna i canti della storia dell’uomo (preghiere, odi popolari, ninnenanne, arie d’opera etc.) con un umore ancestrale e quasi millenario. Il cd include anche i 10 minuti di Klaviersammlung, coagulo di risonanze all’inside piano post-processate freneticamente, allucinate e acquatiche.

Con un raggio temporale che va dal 2010 al 2014, sono componimenti che descrivono un paradigma che ha i crismi del classico a tecnica mista. Niente freddi risvolti programmatici, e nemmeno puro istinto gestuale, nella visione del ricercatore. Piuttosto una calibrata mistura di suoni e codici che generano un’argentea crisalide fatta d’algoritmi.

Realizzato per l’Harvard University for Electroacoustic Composition, premiere in Germania e Giappone.

Recensioner

Kristoffer Westin, Sound of Music, September 29, 2015

Av verkkommentarerna att döma tycks tysken Hans Tutschkus musik präglas av ett intuitivt kompositionsarbete, varmed själva ljudupplevelsen står i centrum, medan gestaltningen av ting och skeenden förefaller sekundär och öppen. Den akusmatiska musiken, vilken merparten av Tutschkus kompositioner sällar sig till, har annars en tendens att stoltsera med förhållandevis intrikata idéer; och om dessa är för komplexa och svårforcerade tenderar de dessvärre att störa lyssningen mer än inspirera.

Dessa bekymmer uppstår lyckligt nog inte i mötet med musiken på Firmament, som är den andra skivan av Tutschku på Empreintes DIGITALes. Inspirationen till skivans första stycke, Firmament — schlaflos (2010), kommer från vår inre ljudvärld — den vi endast har att tillgå genom vår egen fantasi. Detta öppna och svårfångade område för tankarna i riktning mot Karlheinz Stockhausens intuitiva musik (ex instruktionen ”spela en vibration i rytm med dina atomer” ur Abwärts), varför det knappast förvånar att Tutschku såväl spelat verk av Stockhausens liksom studerat och arbetat under densamme.

Det ljudande resultatet av Firmament — schlaflos påminner däremot inte särskilt om Stockhausen, vilket är menat i en positiv bemärkelse, ty stycket är ett självständigt och vackert klangdrama, där spröda partier dominerade av kvinnoröster ställs mot dynamiska förvecklingar i komplexa ljudvävar. Det generösa inslaget av behagligt lågmälda sekvenser medverkar dessutom till att stycket skiljer sig från förhärskande tendenser på det akusmatiska området.

Efterföljande Klaviersammlung (2011) hämtar sitt ljudmaterial från en samling övergivna pianon hemmahörande i Kölns universitet. Styckets stånkande och stönande pianoklatter ljuder konkret och kristallklart i tio förtjusande minuter. Placerat mellan två längre stycken på skivan, är Klaviersammlung ett välkommet avbräck med uppfriskande konsekvenser.

Vi lämnar den akusmatiska musikens domäner och äntrar ett slags tvärkulturellt drama i och med skivans sista stycke, Issho ni (2014). Under kompositionens 30 minuter långa speltid samsas äldre och yngre musiktraditioner från hela världen i sånger, improvisationer, ramsor och böner; människans röst står i centrum, men även en hel uppsjö av musikinstrument trakteras. En imponerande klarhet förknippas med Tutschkus arrangemang av de individuella ljudhändelserna, vilka fogats samman minutiöst till en virtuell promenad, vars upplösning av tid och rum strålar av optimism. Vi vandrar nyfiket och förundras över de små manipulationerna som den tyska komponisten har utfört för att åstadkomma samstämmighet mellan olika musiktraditioner. Underbart!

Sammanfattningsvis består Firmament av ett omväxlande program, som dessutom fungerar utomordentligt hela vägen. Med anledning av det självständiga uttrycket och fantasieggande resultatet vill jag framhålla skivan som en av de bättre från Empreintes DIGITALes på länge.

Firmament av ett omväxlande program, som dessutom fungerar utomordentligt hela vägen.

Autumn experimental music releases. Part One.

Эксперимент, August 26, 2015

[…] Hans Tutschku / Firmament

Второй сольный диск немецкого композитора Ханса Тутшку, проживающего в районе Бостона (Массачусетс, США). Альбом включает три многоканальных акусматических трека, созданных с 2010 по 2014 года и замиксованных в стерео в 2015 году. […]

Radio Broken Dreams — Hans Tutschku

Adventures Through Audio, July 5, 2015

Hans Tutschku began to study music at an early age. In 1982 he joined the Ensemble für Intuitive Musik Weimar, playing synthesizer and live electronics. He studied electroacoustic composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden (Germany), and accompanied Karlheinz Stockhausen on several concert tours in 1989-91 for the purpose of studying sound diffusion. In 1989 he co-founded with Michael von Hintzenstern the Klang Projekte Weimar, a presenter of contemporary music, which presents an annual festival as well as a concert series. In 1991-92 he took part in the international year-long course at the Institute of Sonology (The Hague, The Netherlands). In 1994 he followed the annual composition and computer music course at Ircam (Paris, France). In 1995-96, he taught electroacoustic composition at the Franz Liszt Academy in Weimar (Germany) where he also set up the studio. In 1996, he attended the Royaumont Composition Workshop with Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber (France). He taught at Ircam (Paris, France) from 1997 to 2001, and at the Conservatoire de Montbéliard (France) from 2001 to 2004. In May 2003 he completed a PhD in composition at the University of Birmingham (England, UK) with Jonty Harrison. Since September 2004 he has been working as professor of composition and director of the electroacoustic studios at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, USA). With the Ensemble für Intuitive Musik Weimar he has realized several multimedia productions with projected images, choreography as well as the music that were presented in numerous concerts in Europe, Latin America and Asia.

A universe of sound is surrounding us ‘from within.’ It’s composed of our dreams, fears and longings. It only exists within our body, our own imagination. We want to share it; but there are no words, no possible descriptions. We are sitting on a meadow on a warm night, alone, watching the stars. Nobody is disturbing our thoughts. Nobody is limiting our space. We don’t have to rush anywhere; we have time to let go and to follow these sounding creatures… It’s not a nightmare; it’s just the interplay of our imagination.

Firmament — schlaflos [Firmament — sleepless] was realized in 2010 at Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition (HUSEAC) (Cambridge, MA, USA) and premiered on July 29, 2010 during the festival Inventionen in St Elisabeth-Kirche in Berlin (Germany). Thanks to Sarah Sun (recorded voice). The current stereo version was realized in January 2015 at the composer’s studio.

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