2017 SHOCKING SOUNDS

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

O R G E L P A R K

S Y M P O S I U M

2 0 1 7

 

GLORIOUS AND SHOCKING SOUNDS

HYPERORGAN MUSIC

 

 

 

Musicians, artists, and scholars from all over the world met on June 8-10 in

Amsterdam in the Orgelpark for the International Orgelpark Symposium 2017. The main subject of the symposium was the development of so-called 'Hyper Organs', and a special topic was the hyper-organ – the New Baroque Organ – that is currently being built at the Orgelpark.

 

Artistic and epistemic subjects are intertwined, for example in assessing the 'interface' of the digital technology, which the New Baroque Organ will be equipped with. The digital technology allows artists – not just musicians , not just organists – to combine the sounds of the over 2,400 pipes in completely new ways. At the same time, the organ will be playable in 18th-century styles as well, because it will provide the look, feel, and sound of an organ that an organist like Johann Sebastian Bach would have experienced in his day. The symposium includes a rich offering of music, both during the presentations and in the evening concerts.

 

The title 'Glorious and Shocking Sounds' is a quotation from John Cage. When Cage visited Olivier Messiaen and 'his' organ at Sainte-Trinité in Paris, he was not particularly impressed by Messiaen's music; the organ, however, with its 'glorious and shocking sounds' interested him deeply. The New Baroque Organ will sound 'glorious', too, when it is played as 'just another' baroque organ, whereas the sounds enabled by the integrated digital technology will most probably shock both audiences and artists.

 

 

THURSDAY 8/6

First things first

Welcome & Introduction: Hans Fidom / The New Baroque Organ

Music: Franz Danksagmüller / Improvisations

 

Keynotes

Keynote: Sarah Davachi / Reviving forgotten sonics

Keynote: Randall Harlow / Hyper Organs: How things stand

Keynote: Christophe Deslignes / On Breath in the Arts

 

Concert

Christophe Deslignes / Daniel Glaus / Franz Danksagmüller

 

 

FRIDAY 9/6

Session 1

Dynamics in 'organ musicking' without electronics / Chair: Peter Peters

Daniel Glaus / Innov-Organ-um

Franz Danksagmüller / Circuli & Estampie

Hans-Ola Ericsson / The New Project at Göteborg

 

Session 2

The Hyper Organ so far / Chair: Hans-Ola Ericsson

Christoph Bossert & Martin Sturm / The Klais Organ at Würzburg.

 

Session 3

Dynamics in organ musicking with electronics / Chair: Randall Harlow

Claire M. Singer / Organ Reframed

Hampus Lindwall / Using the iPad as an organ tool

James McVinnie / New ways of organ musicking in concert halls

 

Session 4

Organ and live electronics: Composing / Chair: Hans Fidom

Robert van Heumen

Anne La Berge

Wouter Snoei

René Uijlenhoet

Michael Bonaventure

 

Concert

Hans-Ola Ericsson and Hampus Lindwall

 

 

SATURDAY 10/6

Session 5

Historically informed hyper organ music / Chair: Hans-Ola Ericsson

Adrian Foster / Olivier Messiaen's improvisations

Kasia Szwed / Making Albert Schweitzer play live

 

Session 6

Final discussion / Chair: Hans Fidom

Kassel / Peer Schlechta

Oberkassel / Benedikt Aufterbeck

Malmö / Carl-Adam Landström

 

Session 7

Visit to the Organ Workshop of Elbertse Orgelmakers at Soest

Hans Elbertse shows how the Utopa Baroque Organ is being built