Ensemble Resonanz / Abel Selaocoe / Saerom Park

Ensemble Resonanz / Abel Selaocoe / Saerom Park

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe redefines the parameters of the cello and combines virtuoso skills with improvisation, singing and body percussion. He has found an ideal ally in Ensemble Resonanz, which also enthusiastically explores innovative and new paths in its concerts, sometimes as the Ensemble in Residence of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and sometimes in the chamber music club it founded itself in the Hamburg district of St Pauli. Together they move through worlds, genres and eras – until they arrive together in the future. In »Silent Woods« by Antonín Dvořák, the leaves rustle in the wind with four celli. »When We Were Trees« by Italian cellist and composer Giovanni Sollima takes us through the seasons in a true sound adventure with a mix of different styles – sometimes classical, sometimes folkloristic, sometimes percussive, sometimes meditative. Kate Moore contributes a new composition for cello and Selaocoe’s voice.

Abel Selaocoe & Ensemble Resonanz

Out of the Box: Wenn Abel Selaocoe die Bühne betritt, gibt es nur noch die Musik – jenseits aller Genregrenzen und Erwartungshaltungen. Klassik und Weltmusik verschmelzen in seiner virtuosen Performance aus klassischem Cellospiel, Improvisation, Gesang und Bodypercussion zu einem einmaligen Musikerlebnis.Neben dem Klassiker »Waldesruh« von Antonín Dvořák hat der südafrikanische Cellist auch »We Were Trees« des italienischen Cellisten und Komponisten Giovanni Sollima aufs Programm gesetzt: ein wahres Klangabenteuer mit einem Mix verschiedener Stile, mal klassisch, mal folkloristisch, mal perkussiv, mal meditativ. Mit dem Ensemble Resonanz hat er dafür ideale Verbündete gefunden, die in ihren Konzerten ebenfalls mit Enthusiasmus innovative und neue Wege gehen, mal als Residenzensemble der Hamburger Elbphilharmonie, mal im selbst gegründeten Kammermusikclub auf St. Pauli. ​Gefördert vom Kuratorium KölnMusik e.V.

Abel Selaocoe

Abel Selaocoe muss in jeder Hinsicht nur Erstaunen hervorrufen. Nicht genug, dass der Südafrikaner als Cellist und Komponist internationales Renommee genießt, er vermag auf der Bühne auch mit seinen Gesangskünsten zu überzeugen.Miriam Makeba, Ladysmith Black Mambazo – wer kennt sie nicht, diese Topstars unter den südafrikanischen Vokalisten. Doch was Abel Selaocoe in diesem Genre bietet, stellt alles bis dahin Bekannte weit in den Schatten: Neben dem virtuosen, gleichwohl unorthodoxen Spiel auf dem Cello stellt sein Gesang einen festen Bestandteil seiner Performance dar – die Beteiligung des Publikums ist dabei ausdrücklich erwünscht! So gerät das Konzert unter dem Titel »Voices« zu einem beispiellosen Gemeinschaftserlebnis, zu einem gefeierten Miteinander. Gefördert vom Kuratorium KölnMusik e.V.

Ensemble Resonanz

Why would an ensemble that made its name performing rarities from early and contemporary music then turn to the most successful oratorio of the Baroque? Ensemble Resonanz would presumably answer, »Christmas without the Christmas Oratorio is only half the story. As often as you may have heard or played the piece, you still want to hear or play it again.« The ensemble has been performing its own version of Bach’s Christmas classic for six years now – pared down and with unconventional instrumentation, a little like a concert at home for friends. The concert hall becomes a sitting room, the musicians become a choir, and the work becomes chamber music with Baroque violas, electric guitar and vintage keyboards.

When We Were Trees – Abel Selaocoe & Ensemble Resonanz

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Ensemble Resonanz / Saerom Park / Dirk Rothbrust

Therapy for the restless and the overstimulated – that’s one way to describe Rebecca Saunders’s music. »She focuses the ear on minute gradations of timbre and intonation, and turns her performers into Zen masters of attention and focus«, writes the Guardian. How fortunate, then, that no less than five Elbphilharmonie concerts are dedicated to Saunders this season. Bringing this spotlight to a close is the award-winning Ensemble Resonanz – with a full-length Saunders programme, of course. Characteristically of Saunders, the Concerto for Violoncello, Strings and Percussion explores a minute musical ornament, the trill. In the hands of the cellist Saerom Park, it is transformed, says Saunders, into an »unpredictable sound fragment«. A backdrop of shimmering overtones and glissandi animates the piece »Unbreathed« with an eerie magic. And to close, »All that dust« is an opportunity for the percussion to shine, brilliantly performed by Dirk Rothbrust. As one critic brilliantly summarised, »Saunders is looking to create moments of such intensity that music ceases to simply be sound, but becomes an all-consuming synaesthetic experience.«

Abel Selaocoe solo

Ensemble Resonanz & Guests

A story about friendship and betrayal, violence and denunciation, crucifixion and violent death. Ensemble Resonanz dives into the heated events of Bach’s St John Passion and presents its own, intimate version with a chamber-music line-up. The notes remain unchanged, but there is no turba choir. Instead, a guitar and electronic continuo head off together on spheric forays.

Abel Selaocoe & Manchester Collective

Abel Selaocoe, a South African musician, transcends traditional cello playing by blending genres and incorporating sounds of his homeland. His album "Where is Home (Hae Ke Kae)" earned him the OPUS Klassik award. With Manchester Collective, he creatively combines Bach's cello suites with his own unique musical influences, showcasing both his cello and vocal skills. Supported by Kuratorium KölnMusik e.V. and JTI.

Abel Selaocoe & Aurora Orchestra

Cellist and composer Abel Selaocoe returns, showcasing his genre-bending talent with his composition "Four Spirits," a tribute to his South African roots featuring unique overtone singing. The performance also includes Beethoven's 7th Symphony, performed from memory by the Aurora Orchestra.