Sound LAB

"Der Sandmann"

Composer Günter Steinke found E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Sandman" ideal for a musical psychodrama. The piece focuses on Nathanael, who recounts his father's alchemical experiments with Coppelius and his infatuation with the automaton Olympia. The 2021 premiere team, Ensemble Ascolta and Gerhard Mohr, will perform Steinke's "Sandmann" for the NOW! Festival's Halloween opening.

"Wenn Du mich hörst ..."

The Studio Musikfabrik was an ideal ensemble for composer Peter Eötvös. It guides young, pre-college musicians in performing contemporary music. The program includes a commissioned work by Ioannis Mitsialis, Orestis Papaioannou's "dream\breathe" quartet (referencing Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream"), Zeynep Toraman's energetic "Epokhe," and Zeynep Gedizlioglu's mini-drama "Wenn Du mich hörst, klopf zweimal" for soprano and string quartet.

WDR Sinfonie­orchester "mein Fleisch"

Nicolaus A. Huber will celebrate his 85th birthday on December 15, 2024. The NOW! Festival sends him birthday greetings in advance. Huber, a native of Lower Bavaria, left a huge mark on Essen as a composition professor at the Folkwang University from 1974 to 2004. His former student, Gordon Kampe, composed a commissioned work for two voices and orchestra. Johannes Maria Staud's new percussion concerto and two Huber classics will be performed. In 2017, he composed "...der arabischen 4", and with "laissez vibrer", he composed the first solo for 18 tubular bells, reminiscent of his childhood.

"Mes Adieux"

Since the 18th century, the string trio has long been overshadowed by the string quartet. However, this genre has flourished among significant composers again from the beginning of the 20th century. This includes Arnold Schönberg (150th birthday), whose technically demanding piece was written in 1946. The Freiburg Trio Recherche emphasizes its exceptional status with three other string trios. The English post-avant-gardist Brian Ferneyhough composed a piece in 1995. Half a century lies between the two string trios by Helmut Lachenmann.

"drawing a straight line in a curved universe"

In the 1960s, choreographer Merce Cunningham dreamed of electronically notating dance. Composer Roman Pfeifer, inspired by this vision, created the transdisciplinary piece "drawing a straight line in a curved universe." He applied computer-generated dance technologies to music, presenting new possibilities and challenges for the Kammerelektronik ensemble, which Pfeifer founded to connect sound, instrumental gesture, light, space, and dance.

FAMILY CONCERT Fascination orchestra sound

FAMILY CONCERT: THE SOUND OF CLIMATE

FAMILY CONCERTSfor children and young people from 8 years

FAMILY CONCERT: THE SOUND OF CLIMATE

FAMILY CONCERTSfor children and young people from 8 years

Workshop: Kosmos Sound

We don’t hear music with our ears alone: we can also experience it intensely with our whole body and with all our senses. In the workshop »Kosmos Klang« many special instruments are available for the purpose, such as sound chairs and vibrating water bowls. Participants experience the relaxing effect of the vibrations produced, and even make the sounds visible.

Workshop: Kosmos Sound

We don’t hear music with our ears alone: we can also experience it intensely with our whole body and with all our senses. In the workshop »Kosmos Klang« many special instruments are available for the purpose, such as sound chairs and vibrating water bowls. Participants experience the relaxing effect of the vibrations produced, and even make the sounds visible. Please note: this workshop is aimed at families with children aged six and above. Children younger than six may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.