REBECCA SAUNDERS Solo Klangforum Wien © Astrid Ackermann Rebecca Saunders (*1967 ) 1 Shadow ( 2013 ) study for piano 11:42 2 Dust ( 2017/18 ) for percussion solo 07:37 3 Solitude ( 2013 ) for solo violoncello 19:00 4 Flesh ( 2018 ) Solo for accordion with recitation 09:28 5 Hauch ( 2018 ) for violin solo 08:09 6 to an utterance – study ( 2020 ) for solo piano 11:16 Commissioned by Klangforum Wien and funded by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung 1 Florian Müller, piano 2 Björn Wilker, percussion 3 Andreas Lindenbaum, violoncello 4 Krassimir Sterev, accordion 5 Sophie Schafleitner,violin TT 67:16 6 Joonas Ahonen, piano 3 “Everything is already here. I simply provide a frame, a context. The world is so saturated with noise. To filter out the nuances, or to exclude certain fragments, stands at the beginning of my work process. But it’s not the beginning of a piece.” Rebecca Saunders Solo pieces occupy an important place in Rebecca Saunders’ oeu- vre, since at least during the prepara- tion period, the composer’s solitude is transformed into a dialogue with the soloists with whom she seeks a close collaboration; the sheer physicali- ty of their playing providing a source of lasting inspiration to the composer. She deeply explores the world of the sounds, offering a declaration of love to the respective instrument, soloist or to music in general. Dust is a solo for two, a homage to both Christian Dierstein and Dirk Rothbrust, because each of them has created his own version of this piece with and by Rebecca Saunders. She wanted to let the very weight of the sounds become palpable, to visualise the fallibility of 4 the physical body behind the sounds, almost the complete sound is reflect- barely intelligible. Rebecca Saunders and to trace the essence of the tone ed in the resulting acoustic shadow. In gives expression to the recondite colours, raising dust and noise. Sur- her piece, Rebecca Saunders projects depth of this monologue – a raw, sex- face, weight and touch form the pa- multiple sounds of varying density ual energy which cannot be contained rameters of the performance – which and complexity on to the resonances by a narrow definition of gender. By aspects are influential? Is the weight of the previous gesture with the help the way – the works of James Joyce of the percussionist transmitted to his of a very detailed application of sos- and Samuel Beckett have provided the stroke? How subtly differentiated can tenuto and legato pedals. In her newly Berlin-based composer with some of the brush stroke the skin of the drum? commissioned piece To an Utterance, her most important literary stimuli. What is the impact of the muscular also written for piano solo, she re- tension between the shoulder-blades soundingly dabs a painting of acoustic If Rebecca Saunders’ oeuvre is like lis- of the player? Rebecca Saunders’ fas- timbres, together with pianist Joonas tening to the voices inside the head, cination with the different elements of Ahonen, in order to arrive at a musical a deep drilling into a hidden inner sounds is not limited to acoustics; she expression. world, the existential aspect of sol- equally explores physical phenome- itude, which characterises the pro- na of the instrument and the musician, Klangforum Wien also participated cess of composition in general and providing them with a fresh context in in the piece Flesh – here, Rebecca the solo-piece in particular, again be- space. Saunders worked together with comes manifest. Solitude speaks of Krassimir Sterev, developing a very it once more: Absence, silence, with- Rebecca Saunders is very interested specific sound-palette for accordion drawal. An internal state of being with in the sculptural and spatial charac- in combination with the human voice. and at the same time without oneself. teristics of organised sounds. This can Every change of direction of the bag is A waste land, or a fertile wilderness, also be discerned in her piece Shad- minutely controlled; opening the bag is or, time and again, a reversal to the fil- ow, a study for piano, which explores accompanied by fast, rhythmic chang- igree core which delicately envelops the acoustic shadow in analogy to a es of register, its closing by the hu- the silence. mirage that appears in the light. Sim- man voice. It recites a fragment from ilar to the shadows created by light, Molly Bloom’s inner monologue from acoustic shadows emerge when sound James Joyce’s Ulysses, inhaling and Sylvia Wendrock waves impinge upon very dense struc- exhaling the text in a half-whisper, al- tures and are absorbed by them. Ow- most silently or constrained by a hand. Translated from German by ing to the ensuing absence of echoes, Ceaselessly, it flows below the surface, Dr Vera Neuroth 5 Klangforum Wien Open-minded, virtuosic in perfor- rope, America and Asia. In a mutual- mance and aurally perceptive, Klang- ly rewarding collaboration with many forum Wien – one of the internationally of the world’s leading composers, the most renowned ensembles for con- ensemble has formed a great num- temporary music – devotes itself to ber of formative artistic friendships. the artistic interpretation and expan- Since 2009, the musicians of Klangfo- sion of experiential space. A perfor- rum Wien have devoted themselves to mance of Klangforum Wien is an event sharing their comprehensive mastery in the best sense of the word; it offers of playing techniques and forms of ex- a sensual experience, immediate and pression with a new generation of art- inescapable; and the novelty in its mu- ists in the context of their collective sic speaks, acts and beguiles. professorship at the University of Mu- sic, Graz. Ever since it was founded by Beat Furrer in 1985, the ensemble – which, Klangforum Wien is made up of 23 mu- over the years, has received a great sicians from Australia, Bulgaria, Ger- number of awards and distinctions – many, Finland, France, Greece, Ita- has written music history: It has pre- ly, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and sented around 600 world premières of the United States. At the start of the works by composers from four conti- 2018/19 season, Bas Wiegers was ap- nents; it boasts an extensive discog- pointed First Guest Conductor, tak- raphy of more than 90 releases, ap- ing over from Sylvain Cambreling who, pearing at the most important concert however, has maintained a close rela- and opera venues, but also in the con- tionship with the ensemble as its First text of young, committed initiatives, Guest Conductor Emeritus. and at the major music festivals in Eu- 6 Rebecca Saunders a choreographed installation, creat- Rúz, the dancers of Sasha Waltz & ed in collaboration with Sasha Waltz, Guests, Carolin Widmann, the Junge was her fi rst work for the stage and Deutsche Philharmonie and Sylvain received over 100 international per- Cambreling. In 2018 her double bass formances. Most recently in 2017, concerto Fury II was choreographed Yes, an expansive 80-minute spa- by Emanuel Gat in collaboration with tial installation composition, was writ- Ensemble Modern as part of the Story ten for Musikfabrik, Donatienne Mi- Water project. chel-Dansac and Enno Poppe for the extraordinary architectural spaces of the Berlin Philharmonie and the St. Eu- stache Cathedral in Paris. Since 2013, Saunders has written a series of solos and duos for perform- ers with whom she has collaborated With her distinctive and intensely strik- closely over many years, including Bite ing sonic language, Berlin-based Brit- ( 2016 ) for bass fl ute, Aether ( 2016 ) ish composer Rebecca Saunders ( b. for bass clarinet duo, dust ( 2017/18 ) 1967 ) is a leading international repre- for percussion, O ( 2017 ) for sopra- sentative of her generation. Born in no, hauch ( 2018 ) for violin, and Flesh London, she studied composition with ( 2017/18 ) for accordion. She has si- Nigel Osborne in Edinburgh and Wolf- multaneously pursued her keen inter- gang Rihm in Karlsruhe. est in works in the concertante form, writing a double percussion concerto Saunders pursues an intense inter- Void ( 2014 ), a trumpet concerto Alba est in the sculptural and spatial prop- ( 2015 ), and both Skin ( 2016 ) and Yes erties of organised sound. chroma I – ( 2017 ) for soprano and large ensem- XX ( 2003 – 2017 ), Stasis and Stasis ble. Alba and Void marked the close of Kollektiv ( 2011 / 16 ) are expanding spa- a triptych of works which also includes tial collages of up to twenty-fi ve cham- the violin concerto Still ( 2011 ). In 2016, ber groups and sound sources set in her extended violin concerto Still radically diff erent architectural spac- ( 2011/16 ) was performed in collabo- es. insideout, a 90-minute collage for ration with the choreographer Antonio Ackermann © Astrid 7 Saunders’ music has been performed 2013, Alba in 2016, Skin in 2017 and and premiered by many prestigious Unbreathed in 2018 ), and the GEMA ensembles, soloists and orchestras in- Music Prize for Instrumental Music. In cluding Ensemble Musikfabrik, Klang- 2015, Saunders received the Hans und forum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Quat- Gertrud Zender Foundation Prize and uor Diotima, Ensemble Dal Niente, the prestigious Mauricio Kagel Music Asko|Schönberg, the Arditti Quartet, Preis. Accordionist Teo Anzellotti’s CD, Ensemble Resonanz, Ensemble Re- …of waters making moan, which includ- cherche, ICE, the Neue Vocalsolisten, ed Saunders’ eponymous work, won Ensemble Remix, SWRSO, WDRSO the German Record Critics’ Award of and the BBCSO, amongst many others. the Year for 2016. Her compositions have been rec- Saunders is in great demand as a com- ognised with numerous international position tutor and teaches regularly at, prestigious awards, including the 2019 amongst others, the Darmstadt Sum- Ernst von Siemens Music Prize ( fol- mer Courses and at the Impuls Acade- lowing one of the Young Composers’ my in Graz.