Christoph Ogiermann: Encouragements and/Contradictions and/»the history of all hitherto existing music is also the history of hand positions and fingerings« SESSION for Yarn/Wire, three additional players and electronics

ICH/I

 

The title:
Encouragements/Ermutigungen: Stefan Wolpe calls his »Battle Piece« Encouragements for piano. At the time (I assume) meant as the result of certain notated music/the expression that comes out of the sounding result/here it is understood more as a goal in the production process. An encouragement to deal more and more freely with the given materials and notes.

 

KRIEG/GET

 

Contradictions: initially also meant in the production process, as the written transmission of the material still implies the impression of a monument, a work that must be played »word for word« in order to convey the actual message of the composition. Later on, it is also a reference to the aesthetics of simultaneity.

 

DAS ALLES/ALL THIS

 

»The history….«: describes a kind of third state of the process (which chronologically was the first): after transcriptions of improvised material as an aid, I/we hopefully come back to the point where I started the piece, using concepts of hand positions and fingerings to play the original improvisations.

 

NICHT/NOT

 

For the collaboration, this pile of material now exists in 24 parts: as equal possibilities that are put together into something that could be called a SESSION…

 

MEHR/ANYMORE

 

To the SESSION are added: here and there songs/electronic music/material actions in and around the pianos, images of drawings, films…. and the author is actually constantly expressing himself, because it is not enough for him that one musical expression stands alone, there are several anyway and then there are texts and comments?

 

AUF/ONTO

 

….and I’m still in doubt: if I’m honest, I can’t get everything that’s bothering me so much in my private life (who does what LOVE?) and in the public sphere (what is LEFT? With so much RIGHT) onto the art level! But to leave it, to leave it publicly, I lack the courage: So talk? Talk about all the art, act about it? …UNCLAR!!!

 

DIE KUNSTEBENE!/THE ART LEVEL! (and »Zeitenwände« are going up everywhere…)

 

Christoph Ogiermann