Darmstadt 2014: Make it New!

The Georg-Büchner-Platz aglow with the furnaces of hot air balloons and aerial footage of the city of Darmstadt. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

Elisa Medinilla pianist of the Nadar Ensemble gets wired up ready to rehearse Generation Kill. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

The Nadar Ensemble rehearse Stefan Prins' Generation Kill in Darmstadt's Georg-Büchner-Platz. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

The Nadar Ensemble in the thick of Stefan Prins' multimedia octet Generation Kill. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

Stefan Prins' Generation Kill features a quartet of Playstation-controller players a quartet of live musicians onstage and a quartet of the live musicians' video avatars. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

Dries Tack clarinettist of the Nadar Ensemble displaying virtuosity on a new instrument. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

Belly dancer Meiver de la Cruz prepares to clamber atop the giant cube of video screens in the centre of the square. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

Meiver de la Cruz dances with her corps-de-ballet of quadrocopter drones. Photo: Daniel Pufe.

“I felt the impact of a revolutionary new music stemming from Darmstadt, and also of a radically new medium of electronic sound. This situation became alarming, and began to make me feel that unless I somehow kept up with all the new developments I might be condemned to a musical inconsequence or sterility. Of course, in human or musical terms this would be intolerable – to spend one’s life keeping up with the Darmstadt Joneses.”

- Douglas Lilburn

Hot air balloons, Playstation controllers and belly dancing with drones might be the modern answer to a question explored by the International Music Institute of Darmstadt since 1946: What does one have to do to be truly revolutionary?

Join young New Zealand composer Celeste Oram on her pilgrimage to the European epicentre of boundary pushing music: the International Summer Course for New Music Darmstadt. Featuring interviews with some of the world’s most forward thinking artists and composers.

Interviewees include:

• 2014 festival director, Thomas Schäfer
• New Zealand born musicians, Peter Veale (oboe), Dorothy Ker (composer)
• Established and emerging international composers: Johannes Kreidler, Stefan Prins, Lucas Fels, Alice Berni, Jennifer Walshe, David Helbich, Julia Mihaly, Mathieu Corajon, Simon Løffler
• Chamber groups, Asean Contemporary Music Ensemble, Mivos Quartet, Sound Initiative
• Wafaa Bilal (artist), Meiver de la Cruz (dancer)

Music Details

STOCKHAUSEN: Carré – Choir and Symphony Orchestra of the NDR/Kagel, Stockhausen/Markowski/Gielen (Stockhausen Disc 5)

MEIERHOF: EXIT F – Nadar Ensemble (MIG004)

PRINS: Generation Kill – Nadar Ensemble (NEOS records, 426006311303)

KREIDLER: Windmill Study, Short Cuts from Audioguide– neon Ensemble (RNZ)

LANZA: Regnum Vegitable – ensemble mosaic (RNZ)

LOUILARPPRASERT: From Inside Aristotle – Asean Contemporary Music Ensemble (RNZ)

BIRTWISTLE: Ritual Fragment – London Sinfonietta/Knussen (NMCD009)

GADESTÄTTER: schlitzen (Paramyth 2) – Mivos Quartet (RNZ)

EIZIRIK: music while waiting / music while working – soundinitiative (RNZ)

FURRER: Solo – Lucas Fels (Kairos)

LACHENMANN: Reigen Seliger Geister – Arditti String Quartet (Kairos)

DONATONI: HOT – Ensemble Dal Niente (FCR130)

WALSHE,  DE VEGA: improvisation – Jennifer Walshe & Mario de Vega (RNZ)

MIHALY: If You Liked My Posts I Wouldn’t Have To Express Myself in Real Life – Julia Mihaly (RNZ)

FELDMAN: Piano & String Quartet – Kronos Quartet, Aki Takahashi (pno) (Nonesuch)