Artistic concept by and for the GingerEnsemble Bern & guest Peter Streiff
With its programme entitled ‘Ausgerenkte Kräfte – Forces disloquée’ (Dislocated Forces), the GingerEnsemble, together with composer Peter Streiff, strikes a balance between subtle environmental sounds, physical presence and lively electronics.
In this endeavour, which attempts to expand the boundaries of conventional performance formats with a mixture of concert, performance and installation, dislocations are entirely desirable.
The title is taken from the painting ‘Ausgerenkte Kräfte (Merz-Bild)’ by Kurt Schwitters from 1920. This painting – an assemblage of wood, metal springs, fabric, paper and oil on cardboard, held together by a frame made of roof battens – represents the beginning of an era that also marked the emergence of performance art and experimental music.
For its autumn tour in 2022, the GingerEnsemble was joining guest composer Peter Streiff on a release tour of sorts for his finely edited publication Musikalische Konzepte, 1968 – 2019 (Musical Concepts, 1968 – 2019), a book containing over 90 compositions.
This publication by the Bernese composer, born in 1944, whose compositional focus is on chamber music works and musical concepts, forms a cornerstone of the programme ‘Ausgerenkte Kräfte – Forces disloquée’. Around this cornerstone, in keeping with the spirit of the GingerEnsemble, five new compositions were created, which premiered in autumn 22.
Naturally, the ensemble commissioned a composition from their guest. In addition, the ensemble members themselves created various original compositions, as a key feature of the productions is the juxtaposition of works from different generations, as represented within the GingerEnsemble. The GingerEnsemble itself tends to operate at the interfaces between different disciplines. This distinguishes it from a conventional music ensemble and allows it to focus more on the process, enabling it to respond more directly to momentary inspirations, whether from a new space or a new work. Among other things, they use their repertoire of historical works of experimental music or performances (for example, from the Fluxusworkbook) to complement and bring together the newly developed compositions into a coherent concert.
In order to obtain feedback from the public and also to gain a critical external perspective and a different kind of documentation, Dorothea Rust was commissioned to write a report on her experiences with our project (in German).
GingerEnsemble: Cyrill Lim, Valerian Maly, Klara Schilliger, Lara Stanic
Guest: Peter Streiff
Technical support: Lisa Mark
Concerts
27 October 2022, 7 p.m., La Voirie, Biel
29 October 2022, 7 p.m., Prozess, Bern
30 October 2022, 7 p.m., Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zurich
6.30 p.m. Introduction: Valerian Maly
4 November 2022, 8 p.m., Museum Tinguely, Basel
7.30 p.m. Introduction: Valerian Maly
6 November 2022, 6 p.m., Centre de Culture ABC, La Chaux-de-Fonds
7 February 2023, 7 p.m., Theater Pavillon, Lucerne
Double concert with the Trio Saeitenwind
Supported by Stiftung Pro Scientia et Arte, Stadt Zürich, Fondation SUISA, Kanton Zug, Kanton Bern, Stadt Bern, Landis & Gyr Stiftung, Migros Kulturprozent, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Stadt Biel, Burgergemeinde Bern, Pro Helvetia, SIS
Photos © Markus Goessi & Lisa Mark
