Concert Series ascolta plays...
ascolta began in 2008 to promote its own concert series "ascolta plays …"
In 2011 ascolta invites listeners and viewers to a festival weekend on October 8th and 9th in the the Stuttgart State Art Gallery and Stuttgart Music Highschool and on November 25th in the Gaisburg Church to an unusual 99th birthday concert for John Cage.
November 25th, 2011
Gaisburg Church at 7.30 p.m.
"ascolta plays for John Cage's 99th birthday"
Program
7.30 p.m.
John Cage (1912–92):
· Second Construction (1940) for percussion quartet
· Inlets (1977) for three players with water filled conch shells
· Living Room Music (1940) for percussion and speech quartet
8.45 p.m.
John Cage
· Atlas eclipticalis (1961) for orchestra
· Four6 (1992) for 4 players
10 p.m.
John Cage
· c Composed Improvisation for Steinberger Bass Guitar
Earle Brown (1926–2002)
· December 1952 (from Folio)
Morton Feldman (1926–1987)
· Palais de Mari (1986) for piano
Tickets to €12 and 8 under: kontakt @ascolta.de
We invite for wine and fingerfood in the concert breaks
The programme includes compositions for orchestral instruments, for percussion instruments and, in fact, for any ways of producing sounds. In "Living Room Music" the objects of the living room have themselves become instruments. The composition "Inlets" coaxes watery sounds from large sea shells and the performers have to invent their own sounds for "Four6", to Cage's specifications.
Cage created art works which question and extend the concepts of "art" and of "music". His music was open to any sound which might occur: percussion and prepared piano, ready-mades from the radio or from recordings, everyday and accidental sounds, and most famously, silence.
The artist Marcel Duchamp was Cage's chess partner, the dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham was his partner and collaborator. No less a figure than Arnold Schoenberg called Cage "an inventor - of genius".
ascolta plays … motion / emotion
The ensemble ascolta's concert series in 2012 looks at musical and gestural motion and emotion in contemporary music. Choreography, dance and music theatre with compositions from Luciano Berio and György Kurtág to Sven-Ingo Koch, among many others.
Concert dates: 31 March | 13-15 July | 10 November
Previous concerts in the series "ascolta plays …"
October 8th and 9th, 2011
State Art Galery and Music Highschool Stuttgart
"ascolta plays … picture symphony" – a multimedia festival with concerts, symposion, film night and podium discussion.
November 23rd, 2010
"ascolta plays … the world of Paris"
Paris as a meeting point for composers from around the world. Supported by the French-German Fund for contemporary music SACEM. Compositions by Iannis Xenakis, Yan Maresz, Valerio Sannicandro, Noriko Baba, Malika Kishino, and Giovanni Bertelli (world premiere). Conducted by Michael Alber.
September 15th, 2010
"ascolta plays … in the labyrinth of the night"
in cooperation with the Stuttgart Musikfest
Compositions by Salvatore Sciarrino, Martin Smolka (world premiere), Andrew Digby/Fredéric Chopin and Tiziano Manca
May 11th, 2010
"ascolta plays … the Berlin Project"
Premiere performances by young composers and their teachers in programme first played in the Berlin Festspiele. Compositions by Isabel Mundry, Saskia Bladt, Johannes Schöllhorn, Meng-Chia Lin, Marco Stroppa and Eduardo Moguillansky. Conducted by Johannes Schöllhorn.
December 10th, 2009
"ascolta plays … Stage/Scene"
The works on the programme create theatrical situations out of the music. Compositions by Robin Hoffmann, Francesco Filidei, Elena Mendoza and Jennifer Walshe.
May 21st, 2009
"ascolta plays … Dialogue Experiment"
A multi facetted composition by seven composers including Chaya Czernowin. Conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer.
January 11th, 2009
"ascolta plays … Credo in US"
The USA as a meeting place for artists seeking political and artistic freedom. Compositions by Kurt Weill, Andrew Digby/Stefan Wolpe, John Cage, Conlon Nancarrow, Steve Reich and Christian Wolff.
November 4th, 2008
"ascolta plays … Zappa"
On the day of the US-american presidential election, we show that Zappa presides for us!
