Ensemble Phœnix Basel

Phœnix

Tim Hodgkinson, Wang Lu & Swiss Composers

20  h
Gare du Nord, Basel

Tickets Apr 1st 23

Tickets Apr 2nd 23

Concert introduction
with the composers of the new works and Jürg Henneberger

19h

English composer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson has become known primarily as an experimental rock and improvisation musician. Among other things, he founded the politically and musically radical group “HENRY COW” together with Fred Frith in 1968. He has also written compositions for classical formations. In 2003 the Ensemble Phoenix Basel played his quartet “Repulsion”, which was released as a live recording on our portrait CD (“United Phoenix Records”, 2004). His new work “under the void”, which he wrote for us, will finally have its world premiere after seven years.

After his studies Colombian composer Leonardo Idrobo stayed in Basel. We’ve followed his work closely and have premiered one of his early works in 2011. We look forward and are curious for his new work.

Christophe Schiess from Biel contributes a newly composed piece for us after a creative break due to family reasons. Since he had studied with Georg Friedrich Haas in Basel, you can find his name more often in our programs. Christoph Schiess is now himself teaching in Basel.

The three world premieres are complemented by an ensemble piece by Chinese composer Wang Lu. “Backstory” has an open, intuitive form. Seemingly loose yet tightly wound blocks of sound rub up against buoyant grooves.

Program

Leonardo Idrobo (*1977) “kerekere” for bass flute, bass clarinet, percussion, prepared piano and contrabass (2022, WP, commission EPB) – 11’ Christophe Schiess (*1974) “Melatonie” for ensemble (2022, WP, commission EPB) – 20’ Wang Lu (*1982) “Backstory”  for ensemble (2016) – 7’30” Tim Hodgkinson (*1949) “Under the Void”  for ensemble (1916–1918, WP) – 20’
Jürg Henneberger
conductor
Christoph Bösch
flute, piccolo, alto flute, bass flute
Antje Thierbach
oboe
Toshiko Sakakibara
clarinet, clarinet in Eb, bass clarinet
Benjamin Pallagi
clarinet
Lucas Rößner
bassoon, contraforte
Aurélien Tschopp
horn
Nenad Marković
trumpet
Mikael Rudolfsson
trombone
Daniel Stalder
percussion
João Pacheco
percussion
Miguel Pisonero
piano
Friedemann Treiber
violin
Daniel Hauptmann
violin
Petra Ackermann
viola
Alessandro D’Amico
viola
Stéphanie Meyer
cello
Aleksander Gabryś
double bass
Phœnix

Protest Music?

20  h
Gare du Nord, Basel

Tickets May 13th 23

Tickets May 14th 23

Concert introduction
with Jürg Henneberger

19h

In September 1971, prisoners at Attica Prison in upstate New York revolted against prison conditions and took several prison guards hostage. On the governor’s orders, the National Guard subsequently stormed the prison, killing 32 people. Among them was Sam Melville, a bomber who had written a letter to his brother in spring 1971 that was published in a magazine. Back after a long trip to Italy, the American composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski read the letter in the magazine and was moved by the poetic quality and the description of time experience. This was the cause for him to write  “Coming Together,” a piece for variable ensemble and speaker; a composition that has become a prime example of music as resistance; consistently constructed and with a precisely calculated final climax.

The Palestinian composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi has developed his own musical language. Drawn from Western European avant-garde and Arabic musical practice, it radiates a special power. His enthusiasm for European classical music and the aesthetics of New Music led him to Germany at the age of 22. There he also found his way back to the musical culture of his country of origin. Since 2016, Samir Odeh-Tamimi has been a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.

Like our third guest Mathias Spahlinger, he however already since 1996. The German composer creates  works extremely consistent and uncompromising, versatile, conceptual and with great care between aesthetic autonomy and political awareness. In 2014 he was awarded the Grand Art Prize of the Academy of Arts  (Grosser Kunstpreis der Akademie der Künste), thus receiving the highest honor for his life’s work.

Program

Frederic Rzewski (1938–2021) “Coming Together” for speaker and ensemble (1971) – 20’ Samir Odeh-Tamimi (*1970) “Alif” for Alto and ensemble (2014) – 16’ Mathias Spahlinger (*1944) “Verlorener Weg I & II” for ensemble (1999/2000) – 36’
Sylvia Nopper
alto
Lucas Rößner
speaker
Jürg Henneberger
conductor
Christoph Bösch
flute, piccolo
Antje Thierbach
oboe
Toshiko Sakakibara
clarinet, bass clarinet
Raphael Camenisch
alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
Nenad Marković
trumpet
Michael Büttler
trombone
Maurizio Grandinetti
electric guitar
Consuelo Giulianelli
harp
João Pacheco
percussion
Ludovic Van Hellemont
piano
Friedemann Treiber
violin
Daniel Hauptmann
violin
Alessandro D’Amico
viola
Martin Jaggi
cello
Aleksander Gabryś
double bass
Blanko

Blanko 2023

20  h
Gare du Nord, Basel

We conclude our season with the series “Blanko”. The main focus lies in this ongoing project on discussing  the language of today’s music in a free form. Ensemble Phoenix Basel invites two experimental musicians from the fields of noise, free improvisation, sound art, etc. to collaborate.

Svetlana Maraš will open the evening. The Serbian composer and sound artist works in fields between experimental music and sound art. Since 2021, she is co-director of the Electronic Studio Basel and professor of creative music technology at the Hochschule für Musik FHNW.

Fred Frith takes over in the second half of the concert. The English multi-instrumentalist is best known for his guitar playing and likes to use all kinds of everyday objects to make his instruments sound. From 2011 to 2020 he taught improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik Basel.

Program

Svetlana Maraš (*1985) New work for ensemble (2023, WP, commission EPhB) Fred Frith (*1949) New work for ensemble (2023, WP, commission EPhB)
Christoph Bösch
flute
Toshiko Sakakibara
clarinet
Lucas Rößner
bassoon
Nenad Marković
trumpet
Michael Büttler
trombone
Janne Jakobsson
tuba
Maurizio Grandinetti
electric guitar
João Pacheco
percussion
Samuel Wettstein
keyboards
Aleksander Gabryś
double bass
Thomas Peter
electronics
Fabrizio Di Salvo
sound design
Christoph Bösch
artistic direction