Sampler Sèries – Ensemble Mosaik & Enno Poppe
MIXTUR 2022
Program
Rundfunk for nine synthesizers (2018), Enno Poppe (2018) – 53′ – National premiere
Ensemble Mosaik
Enno Poppe, conduction
Produced by L’Auditori – Sampler Sèries.
information
The starting point for this piece is the key role radio plays in the development of modern music, from experimental electronic music labs, in most cases attached to different radio stations and to radio-art. At the same time, radio and everything that it involves in terms of sound recording, editing and reproduction have undergone big changes, leading to the obsolescence of some pioneering works of electroacoustic music (now regarded as “classics”, even though they were written barely 60 years ago) and to the emergence of new styles and genres (think, for instance, of the possibilities that Auto-tune offers). In this piece, nine traditional synthesisers are used (a Hammond organ, Minimoog and Yamaha DX-7), recreated in the form of software and used by the instrumentalists through their computers and keyboards. With this setup, Enno Poppe seeks to achieve a certain strangeness in the sound, manifested, so to speak, in its falsity. As the composer acknowledges, the composition’s interest appeal is purely and simply sound, worked on in a way that denotes a certain post-modern fetishism, devoid of any nostalgia and taking full advantage of all the available media.
Founded in 1997, ensemble mosaik has evolved to become a particularly diverse and experimental formation in the field of contemporary music. Beyond their outstanding instrumental skills they display creative individuality and a never-ending joy in experiments. In years of tight cooperation they have created an entity of sound that is highest ranking both in artistic competence and openness to the most diverse concepts of contemporary music.
Close cooperation with up-and-coming composers and the tying in of digital media are key to the ensembles work in composition, interpretation and presentation. It prefers an egalitarian workflow between all participants in a project. Transparency helps focus and intensify creativity. ensemble mosaik has cooperated with many composers over the years, thus enhancing a musical development in mutuality.
A special focal point is the reflection of new approaches in performance, such as including scenic and visual elements, and the trying of new concert formats, shedding light on shared contexts connecting individual works, consolidating current strands and probing new perspectives. In cooperation with artists from other fields and musical genres, the concerts themselves become experimental designs.