New Music by Karlheinz Essl: Recent Episodes
Karlheinz Essl
Born 1960 in Vienna. Austrian composer, improviser and performer. He studied composition with Friedrich Cerha and musicology in Vienna. Besides writing experimental instrumental music, he performs on his own electronic instrument m@ze°2, develops software environments for computer-aided composition and creates generative sound and video environments. Since 2007 professor of composition for electro-acoustic and experimental music at the University of Music in Vienna.
Karlheinz Essl performs on a laptop computer that he has transformed into a live electronic musical instrument. The result is exciting and musical. You just won't hear these sounds anywhere else. He performs solo and in duets and trios, responding with sensitivity to fellow musicians, producing fascinating sound transformations, creating spontaneous surprises, and moving quickly from loops to cacophony to tiny clips of vocal sounds to all kinds of textures and ideas. He does all this with his m@ze°2(Modular Algorithmic Zound Environment) performance software. (Joel Chadabe, CDeMusic, Januar 2002)
Live recording, performed by Karlheinz Essl at Museum Liaunig on June 20th, 2026. https://www.essl.at/works/zuschreibungUsing synthesisers he has developed himself, composer Karlheinz Essl explores the sculpture gallery at the Museum Liaunig and the art work by Robert Tauber on display there. Using sounds never heard before, he makes his mark on this gigantic space with its extraordinary acoustics and sets it vibrating. In doing so, the gallery becomes an integral part of a hybrid instrument that combines analogue electronics with acoustic resonators.Instead of the usual mixing desks, amplifiers and loudspeakers, Essl uses equipment stripped down to the bare essentials, with which he embarks on a tentative and exploratory journey through space and time.
Binaural production - listen with headphones!An acoustic portrait of Krakow, a vibrant and energetic city in Poland. This generative soundscape is based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in Krakow, Poland on June 7th, 2026. Released: 10 Jun 20261) Cleaning up Rynek Square on Sunday morning.2) Roadworks with an excavator.3) Florianska Street with bells and trumpets.4) In the Adam Mickiewicz Park.
Binaural production - listen with headphones!An acoustic portrait of the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, founded in 1133 and world-renowned for its Gregorian choral school. As well as nourishing the soul, the body should not be neglected either – a shaded outdoor dining area is available for this purpose.A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in Heiligenkreuz between 2020 and 2026. Released: 25 May 2026 (Pentecost)1) The monks’ noon prayer2) A requiem for a deceased brother3) The gravedigger and mourners4) In the monastery’s outdoor restaurant
Electronic music based on a recording of a self-developed modular synth called L0P7OP, performed on 18 May 2026 at Studio khz. Produced with REAPER.L0P7OP is another addition to my ongoing work in progress, 'My Daily Wobble': minimalist modular system comprising a phase-locked loop, a random generator, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and a resonating voltage-controlled filter (VCF), with lots of feedbacks and cross-modulations.
Gerhard Eckel: electro-dynamic feedback systemKarlheinz Essl: modular electronicsRecorded live at Studio kHz on May 1, 2026. Mastered by Gerhard Eckel.https://www.essl.at/div/rhibozom.htmlYouTube video: https://youtu.be/JKOG74rIdNsrhibozom is a duo of Karlheinz Essl and Gerhard Eckel working at the intersection of electrodynamic feedback, analog synthesis, and shared physical instrument-making. Gerhard Eckel performs on an electrodynamic instrument played with ferromagnetic objects that act as resonators, modulators, and sound sources within the instrument's pickup and speaker field. Karlheinz Essl performs on a compact modular synthesizer, its sounds projected through a separate loudspeaker on the shared table. Both performers place, move, dampen, and excite the resonating objects — the handling of physical material is a joint practice, not divided by instrument.
An acoustic portrait of Belfast where I visited the famous Sonorities Festival at the Queen's University where my composition VIRIBVS VNITIS for harpsichord and toy piano was performed by Yonit Kosovske and Xenia Pestova Bennett.Binaural production - please listen with headphones!A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Belfast (Northern Ireland) from 16-17 April, 2026. 1) Post-concert talks in the Harty Room at Queen's University after a performance by Xenia Pestova Bennett and Yonit Kosovske during the Sonorities Festival.2) A visit to the Botanical Gardens in Belfast.3) A walk through the Palm House in the Botanical Gardens.4) Waiting for the bus at Grand Central Station in Belfast.
Gerhard Eckel: electro-dynamic feedback systemKarlheinz Essl: modular electronics with resonatorsRecorded live at Studio kHz on March 31, 2026https://www.essl.at/div/rhibozom.htmlYouTube video: https://youtu.be/EhgA_eu_92Erhibozom is a duo of Karlheinz Essl and Gerhard Eckel working at the intersection of electrodynamic feedback, analog synthesis, and shared physical instrument-making. Gerhard Eckel performs on an electrodynamic instrument played with ferromagnetic objects that act as resonators, modulators, and sound sources within the instrument's pickup and speaker field. Karlheinz Essl performs on a compact modular synthesizer, its sounds projected through a separate loudspeaker on the shared table. Both performers place, move, dampen, and excite the resonating objects — the handling of physical material is a joint practice, not divided by instrument.
Soundtrack for a dance performance by Andrea Nagl. Recorded live by Karlheinz Essl on custom-built modular electronics at Studio kHz on March 12, 2023. https://essl.at/works/geology-of-thought.html
(2025 ff.)https://www.essl.at/works/my-daily-wobble.htmlPerformed live at Studio Ölberg (25 Jan 2026)
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST in two parts, using the two generators of a KORG NTS-2 oscilloscope as modulation sources. A passive Doepfer A-183-1 dual attenuator is used to attenuate certain signals. Performed live at Studio kHz on 30 December 2025. Recorded with an iPhone.https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
(2025).Two composers, differing in terms of gender, age, cultural background and instrument, leave their writing desks and venture into the unknown. Despite — or perhaps because of — these differences, they create something genuinely new together: songs composed instantly, without any prior planning, in the moment.https://www.essl.at/div/karanava.html
version of the melodica. It is full of microtonal deviations, harmonic shifts and glissandi that are difficult to achieve on an organ. In a mesmerising interaction between the melodica, the performer and the computer software, we can listen to the mysteries of the reeds...In a certain sense, the piece can be heard as a parable, telling the story of weakness and strength through the language of sound.
Binaural production - listen with headphones for full immersion!I embarked on a dreamlike journey through Cologne when I visited the Museum Ludwig that presented collaborative works by John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg. An interactive installation by the latter encouraged visitors to engage in unusual activities such as clapping, shouting, singing and whistling. Occasionally, you would also hear the gentle voice of John Cage. Afterwards, I immersed myself in the cathedral, which resonated with the sounds of its visitors.A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Cologne (Germany) on 2 Nov 2025.Released: 10 Nov 20251) The gallery rooms at the Museum Ludwig, which feature videos of John Cage and Merce Cunningham.2) An interactive installation by Robert Rauschenberg that responds to visitors' sounds.3) Inside Cologne Cathedral.4) The cathedral's crypt.
at Saint Petri Church.2) The minutes before Mass starts at the Probstei Church with the evening bells.3) A Christmas market in the town center.4) Midnight in the pedestrian zone on Halloween Eve
I spent the last weeks in Apulia, a beautiful landscape in Southern Italy, charged with history and stories. The symbol of this region is the Pumo - a traditional ceramic figurine which depicts a stylized flower bud. This gave the title of a new piece for my H.E.A.D. cycle: a immersive sound portrait of this landscape. When listening, you will visit a street market in Ostuni, witness a procession with a marching band in Cisternino, hearing the organ of the Basilica of Lecce and some school girls in the historic center of Grottaglie. Put on your headphones and dive in!A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Apulia (Italy), in September and October 2025.1) A procession of a marching band in Cisternino.2) Schoolgirls in the historic centre of Grottaglie.3) An organ rehearsal in Lecce's Basilica.4) A street market in Ostuni.
Binaural production - listen with headphones! A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Pécs, Hungary, between 27 and 28 June 2025:1) A performance on a broken electronic organ in Toplje Church.2) Walking through Pécs city centre at noon.3) A restaurant with a nice view of Pécs at night.4) A bottle return machine at a supermarket in Pécs.
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer, patched as a chaotic feedback system. Recorded during rehearsals for the MAPPER conference on live electronics at the Klangtheater of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) on 2 July 2025.
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the Conservatorio di Milano on May 27th, 2025:1) Inside the conservatory yard2) Walking through the conservatory3) In the cafeteria of the conservatory4) On the roof terrace of Babila Hostel, next to the conservatoryInfo: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Karlheinz Essl's last piece for toy piano. Performed live by himself during his farewell concert on May 5th, 2025 at the Klangtheater of the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. https://www.essl.at/works/ bricolage.html https://www.essl.at/concerts/2025.html#mdw
Im Gespräch mit der trans-Art Künstlerin Astrid Rieder spricht Karlheinz Essl über die Zeit, „Zufall und Notwendigkeit“ (Jacques Monod), über die Dialektik von Gemütlichkeit und Unbequemlichkeit in der kollektiven Performance und die Improvisation als Rettung. Nach langjähriger Erfahrung mit digitalen Werkzeugen experimentiert Karlheinz Essl seit einiger Zeit mit einem hochempfindlichen analogen modularen Synthesizer namens 0-COAST, den er in Interaktion mit der Zeichnerin und trans-Art Performerin Astrid Rieder allein aus den Schwingungen des Geräts zum Klingen bringt.Hier die Transkription dieses Interviews: https://essl.at/bibliogr/essl-rieder_3.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Brno, Czech Republic on Feb 6th, 2025:1) A walk through Brno's main station2) Garbage collection in the morning3) Soundcheck on the stage of Divadlo na Orli with Karlheinz playing the toy piano4) Listening to cars and trams from aboveInfo: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer in three parts: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Performed live at Studio kHz on Dec 20th, 2024. No overdubs, no edits.https://essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer in four parts, dedicated to the four seasons. Performed live at Studio kHz on Dec 19th, 2024. No overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - just manual control in real time! Watch: https://youtu.be/Htd_AuqimMkhttps://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Rome, Italy between November 29-30, 2024:1) A street demonstration during the general strike2) At the bar of a popular café near S. Maria Maggiore3) In the archives of the Isabella Scelsi Foundation4) A nun decorating the altar of the Basilica Quattro CoronatiReleased: 14 Dec 2024
In dieser Folge des Podcasts "Warum Klassik?" porträtiert Leonard Eröd den Composer/Performer Karlheinz Essl, der nicht nur die Grenzen zwischen den Kunstdisziplinen, sondern auch die Grenze zwischen Komponist und Interpret aufhebt. Veröffentlicht am 23.10.2024.Der vollständige Beitrag kann hier abgerufen werden: https://sound.orf.at/podcast/oe1/warum-klassik/punk-und-sprayerWebfassung: https://essl.at/bibliogr/essl_warum-klassik.html
Binaural rendering of a 6-channel version from 2017 with REAPER and dearVR (Studio kHz, 18 Oct 2024). Generative sound environment for an art installation by Beat Zoder, written in MaxMSP.In 2006, Swiss artist Beat Zoderer and Austrian composer Karlheinz Essl were commissioned to create a collaborative work for the music festival Stanser Musiktage. In an abandoned repository situated in the heart of the Swiss alps, both artists were setting up a room installation made of sewer pipes. Those plastic parts of different lengths were equipped with funnel speakers driven by a customized computer program written in MaxMSP by Karlheinz Essl. Utilizing realtime composition algorithms which the composers develops since 1985, his software created an ever-changing sonic environment which never repeated itself.Seen from outside, the structure resembled a giant jackstraw heap which invited the public to explore the space. Sounds that were projected from the loudspeakers through the pipes commuted through the air, creating a mysterious atmosphere as if some hidden creatures were talking to each other in an incomprehensible, yet compelling language.Info: https://essl.at/works/hirsch-roehren.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!In tempore belli...Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Mantua, Italy between September 10-14, 2024: 1) A walk through the historical center of Mantua 2) A gelataria with the best ice cream in town 3) Inside the Basilica di Sant'Andrea 4) A rehearsal of the ensemble "nova ars cantandi" in the Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, singing "Dona Nobis Pacem" from an unknown mass by Antonio Nola (1642-1715).Released: Sep 23rd, 2024Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Krems, Horn and Gars/Kamp between August 31st and September 1st, 2024. Dedicated to my friend Gerhard Eckel: 1) At the Taffa creek near Horn 2) Gerhard Eckel and Jack Hauser performing under a resonant bridge 3) A train ride along the river Kamp 4) Sound from MONOCOLOR's audio-visual installation SCREEN—SPACE at the NÖ Landesgalerie Krems Released: Sep 2nd, 2024https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at various locations of Salzburg in July 2024: 1) Mirabell Garden with church bells ringing at noon 2) On the shore of the lake St. Wolfgang 3) In the pedestrian zone of the city center of Salzburg 4) The main train station of Salzburg Released: August 4th, 2024Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Sound performance with a MakeNoise MATH function generator controlling the VCO and VCF of a Doepfer DARK ENERGY synthesizer. Performed live at Studio kHz on July 25th, 2024. Have a look at at the video: https://youtu.be/M-QavH4j5xk
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Gars/Kamp between July 5th and 6th, 2024:1) the audience at the opening of the "Temple of Sound" in Gars, the first museum for electroacoustic music2) Karlheinz Essl's "Gesualdo-Fragmente", performed there3) forest next to a country road4) the river Kamp flowing through the city of Gars Released: July 7th, 2024Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Excerpt of a live performance on Wed 12 June 2024 at the Jesuit Church in Vienna during a rehearsal for the world première of "Verkündigung" on June 26th, 2024. Performed on an 0-COAST modular synth played through a BOSE L1 speaker.https://essl.at/works/verkuendigung.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the Volkskundemuseum Vienna (the former Schönborn Palace) on June 4, 2024 during the Vienna Festival project "Haus der Republik": 1) in the garden 2) Cider bar in the courtyard 3) Walking through the exhibition 4) People walking up the main staircase Released: June 5th, 2024Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) on 24 May 2024 before and during a concert of Luigi Nono's last compositions:1) setup in the library2) sound check3) excerpts from "Lontananza" for violin and tape feat. Youngseo Kim and Karlheinz Essl4) excerpts from "Hay que caminar soñando" for two violins feat. Youngseo Kim and Reina Yoshioka
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer controlled by a Doepfer A-174-4 joystick. Performed live at Studio kHz on May 9th, 2024. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - just manual control in real time!https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Dresden (Germany) in April 2024:1) People inside the Frauenkirche2) Café Algarotti of the famous Gemäldegalerie3) The main station of Dresden 4) At the Albertinum art museum where refugees meet and kids play table tennis Released: April 24, 2024Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
The Maelstrom is a gigantic vortex in the North Sea, described by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story "A Descent into the Maelstrom" (published in 1841). Its power is so great that it can suck in even large ships and crush them to pulp.For my piece, I constructed a kind of Maelstrom mechanism with Granular Synthesis, written in MaxMSP. It pulverizes sounds and recombines them into new sonic structures that can be controlled during a live performance. The underlying sound material comes from an improvisation on my MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synth, which is also used as a sound device in this piece.https://essl.at/works/maelstrom.htmlThe premiere took place on March 22, 2024 during my portrait concert at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, performed by myself.
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Monte (Madeira) on February 20th, 2024: 1) Kids playing Futebol 2) Monte Toboggan sleigh ride 3) Japanese pond in the Monte Palace Tropical Garden 4) Gardener at work in the parkInfo: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth, patched as a generative non-linear system. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time!Recorded live at Studio kHz on 7 Mar 2024 in preparation to my solo performance at Alte Schmiede the next day. Filmed with iPhone 15, sound recorded with Zoom F3. Produced in REAPER (Ozone Imager, BREVERB)
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST. Performed live at Studio kHz on Feb 27, 2024. No MIDI, no sequencer, no overdubs, no edits.Part of the work-in-progress "Coastlines" (2020 ff.):https://essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Im Gespräch mit der transArt Künstlerin Astrid Rieder - aufgenommen am 11.11.2023 im Kunstraum Ewigkeitsgasse in Wien - spreche ich über einige zentrale Themen in meinem künstlerischen Schaffen:• Wie mich die deutsche Krautrocktruppe CAN zu Karlheinz Stockhausen und zur elektronischen Musik geführt hat. • Über die Dialektik von Ordnung und Zufall. • Die Faszination chaotischer Systeme, die sich mit modularen Analogsynthesizern so herrlich modellieren lassen.• Warum Improvisation und Komposition zwei unterschiedliche Paar Schuhe sind.Transkript: https://essl.at/bibliogr/essl-rieder_2.html
A new addition to my no-input mixer project that I started in 2023. Performed live with a MACKIE 802 mixing desk on Feb 8th, 2024 at Studio kHz. No edits, no overdubs.https://www.essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
Composer Karlheinz Essl on his recent experiences and experiments with analog modular synthesizers and no-input mixer after decades of digital music making. Published in January 2024 on the platform SoundingFuture.https://www.soundingfuture.com/en/article/digital-analog
Der Komponist Karlheinz Essl über seine Erfahrungen mit analogen Modularsynthesizern und No-Input-Mixern nach Jahrzehnten digitalen Musikmachens mit Computern und selbstgeschriebener Software. Veröffentlicht Januar 2024 auf der Plattform SoundingFuture.https://www.soundingfuture.com/de/artikel/von-digital-nach-analog
Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer connected to a Doepfer ring modulator with two MATH function generators and a MakeNoise WobbleBug using frequency, amplitude and ring modulation. Performed live at Studio kHz on Jan 16, 2024.
Free improvised live performance on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synth, two function generators (MATH) and a ring modulator (Doepfer A114). Recorded at Studio kHz on 4 January, 2024. No MIDI, no sequencer, no overdubs, no edits.Part of the work-in-progress "Coastlines" (2020 ff.):https://essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Generative sound environment based on the paradigm of biorhythm: three independent temporal processes in the ratio of 23 : 28 : 33 change the level of three sound files with a recording of the famous Christmas carol "Silent Night" (Stille Nacht), which are time-stretched according to the same proportions.https://essl.at/works/nachtstille.htmlWritten in Max with Karlheinz Essl's "Realtime Composition Library".
Radiofeature von Jörg Duit über das Improvisationsduo OUT OF THE BLUE mit Agnes Heginger (Stimme) und Karlheinz Essl (Live-Elektronik). Erstsendung am 20.3.2018 im Zeit-Ton auf Ö1.https://www.essl.at/bibliogr/duit-sommerwellen.htmlDie charismatische Sängerin Agnes Heginger und der kongeniale Komponist und Elektroniker Karlheinz Essl nehmen Gedichte als Ausgangspunkt für ihre Performances, die von beiden aus dem Moment heraus vertont werden. Das Offene und Unerwartete steht im Zentrum dieses Prozesses. Dabei reagieren sie auf den entstehenden Raum/Klang, die Zuhörerschaft, die gesprochenen und gesungenen Worte, die Soundscapes und Geräusche, die hörbaren oder nur gedachten Gedanken. Hinter diesem sich fortwährend transformierenden Gespinnst wird etwas Neues sichtbar. Erleben Sie ein fesselndes Experiment, in dem liebevoll ausgewählte Text- und Klangfragmente zu Spielbällen werden, mit denen Agnes Heginger und Karlheinz Essl virtuos jonglieren.
A granular de/reconstruction of two late madrigals by Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), who murdered his wife and her lover "in flagranti". Soundtrack for a live performance with the actor Markus Hering, premiered at the Basilika Sonntagberg on October 28, 2023. Commissioned by the festival Klangraum Waidhofen.https://essl.at/works/gesualdo-fragmente.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Graz, Austria on October 7, 2023 during the Steirischer Herbst festival: 1) Carillon of the Glockenspielplatz 2) Visitors of the Landhaus 3) Main square in the evening with many trams 4) A tram ride with Line 6 Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at different tram stations or tram rides in cities around the world: 1) riding a tram through Kyoto (Japan) 2) a tram stop at the main square in Linz (Austria) 3) a ride on tram 18 from Genève-Cornavin to CERN (Switzerland) 4) an intersection in Oslo where many trams pass by (Norway) Published: Aug 21, 2023 Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at different locations in Geneva between August 17 and 19, 2023: 1) pedestrian passage under the bridge where the lake becomes the Rhône river 2) Terrace in the historic center with a great view of the city 3) Breakfast in front of the Hôtel de la Cigogne 4) A motor vehicle cleaning the streets
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at different locations at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, between August 16 and 18, 2023.: 1) the CERN Control Centre (CCC), where all accelerators and detectors are monitored 2) visitors at the - now historic - SynchroCyclotron (SC) 3) a walk through the CERN campus and some office buildings at night 4) the sound of ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment)
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at different bathing places in Lower Austria and the Czech Republic between 2019 and 2023 during periods of great heat:
1) a nudist beach at the old Danube near Greifenstein 2) the beach of Gmünd, a former gravel pit 3) The lake of Suchdol nad Lužnicí with playing children 4) Františkovy Lázně thermal spa
Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at my home near Vienna, Austria from 2018 to 2023: 1) cooking in the kitchen, 2) evening in the garden, 3) thunderstorm at night, 4) wind in the morning. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth patched as a generative non-linear system. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - just manual control in real time! A suite in three parts, performed live by Karlheinz Essl on July 29, 2023 at Studio kHz. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Sounds flood through the room, drip from the ceiling and evaporate in an eternal cycle. On May 13, 2000, the Minoritenkirche in Krems was transformed into an acoustic water reservoir by a generative sound installation by Karlheinz Essl. The occasion was the last part of the project series "fLOW". Once again Karlheinz Essl invited top-class international instrumentalists, composers and sound artists from a wide variety of musical contexts (ranging from jazz to new music to free improvisation) to be part of a musical work process in continuous flux. Featuring: Anne LaBerge: flute and electronics, Arne Deforce: cello and electronics, Martin Siewert: electric guitar, lapsteel, devices, Elisabeth Flunger: percussion, Didi Bruckmayer: voice and Karlheinz Essl: computer, soundscape, live electronics, concept
Sounds flood through the room, drip from the ceiling and evaporate in an eternal cycle. On May 13, 2000, the Minoritenkirche in Krems was transformed into an acoustic water reservoir by a generative sound installation by Karlheinz Essl. The occasion was the last part of the project series "fLOW". Once again Karlheinz Essl invited top-class international instrumentalists, composers and sound artists from a wide variety of musical contexts (ranging from jazz to new music to free improvisation) to be part of a musical work process in continuous flux. Featuring: Anne LaBerge: flute and electronics, Arne Deforce: cello and electronics, Martin Siewert: electric guitar, lapsteel, devices, Elisabeth Flunger: percussion, Didi Bruckmayer: voice and Karlheinz Essl: computer, soundscape, live electronics, concept
Sounds flood through the room, drip from the ceiling and evaporate in an eternal cycle. On May 13, 2000, the Minoritenkirche in Krems was transformed into an acoustic water reservoir by a generative sound installation by Karlheinz Essl. The occasion was the last part of the project series "fLOW". Once again Karlheinz Essl invited top-class international instrumentalists, composers and sound artists from a wide variety of musical contexts (ranging from jazz to new music to free improvisation) to be part of a musical work process in continuous flux. Featuring: Anne LaBerge: flute and electronics, Arne Deforce: cello and electronics, Martin Siewert: electric guitar, lapsteel, devices, Elisabeth Flunger: percussion, Didi Bruckmayer: voice and Karlheinz Essl: computer, soundscape, live electronics, concept
Sounds flood through the room, drip from the ceiling and evaporate in an eternal cycle. On May 13, 2000, the Minoritenkirche in Krems was transformed into an acoustic water reservoir by a generative sound installation by Karlheinz Essl. The occasion was the last part of the project series "fLOW". Once again Karlheinz Essl invited top-class international instrumentalists, composers and sound artists from a wide variety of musical contexts (ranging from jazz to new music to free improvisation) to be part of a musical work process in continuous flux. Featuring: Anne LaBerge: flute and electronics, Arne Deforce: cello and electronics, Martin Siewert: electric guitar, lapsteel, devices, Elisabeth Flunger: percussion, Didi Bruckmayer: voice and Karlheinz Essl: computer, soundscape, live electronics, concept
Sounds flood through the room, drip from the ceiling and evaporate in an eternal cycle. On May 13, 2000, the Minoritenkirche in Krems was transformed into an acoustic water reservoir by a generative sound installation by Karlheinz Essl. The occasion was the last part of the project series "fLOW". Once again Karlheinz Essl invited top-class international instrumentalists, composers and sound artists from a wide variety of musical contexts (ranging from jazz to new music to free improvisation) to be part of a musical work process in continuous flux. Featuring: Anne LaBerge: flute and electronics, Arne Deforce: cello and electronics, Martin Siewert: electric guitar, lapsteel, devices, Elisabeth Flunger: percussion, Didi Bruckmayer: voice and Karlheinz Essl: computer, soundscape, live electronics, concept
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Feldkirch (Vorarlberg, Austria) between July 19 and 20, 2023: 1) the river Ill from a bridge 2) people and children in an outdoor cafe with playground 3) a walk through the art/sound installation "Spuren" inside the Johanniterkirche 4) morning scene at a Buddhist monastery with a monk walking around a stupa
This piece was recorded on July 5, 2023 at Studio kHz. I used only 1 channel without input with internal audio feedback and a constant high drone as a background, controlled by faders and knobs with amazing resolution. A fantastic playing experience, where the slightest movement of your fingers can drastically change the sound. https://essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
This piece was recorded on July 5, 2023 at Studio kHz on a vintage MACKIE 1604 mixing desk. I used just 2 channels without input with internal audio feedback, controlled by faders and knobs with amazing resolution. A fantastic playing experience, where the slightest movement of your fingers can drastically change the sound. https://essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
This piece was recorded on July 4, 2023 at Studio kHz on a vintage MACKIE 1604 mixing desk. I used only 3 channels without input, with internal audio feedback, controlled by faders and knobs with amazing resolution. A fantastic playing experience, where the slightest movement of your finger can drastically change the sound. Watch the video: https://essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
This piece was recorded on July 4, 2023 at Studio kHz on a vintage MACKIE 1604 mixing desk. I used 7 channels without input, with internal audio feedback, controlled by faders and knobs with amazing resolution. A fantastic playing experience, where the slightest movement of your finger can drastically change the sound. https://essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
Another step into the realm of non-linear feedback systems, performed live on a vintage MACKIE 1604 mixer. A work-in-progress where I explore different kinds of interaction on an analog mixer that produces sounds only by feeding the output back into the input, changing levels and EQ settings in an instrumental way. Have a look at the YouTube video of this performance: https://essl.at/works/studies-NIM.html
Recorded live on June 10th, 2023 at Studio kHz. Performed on a Doepfer DARK ENERGY modular synth and a small analog mixer. No edits, no overdubs. This piece is somehow inspired by the legendary industrial noise band Throbbing Gristle. It focuses on the layering of slowly shifting pulses and the chaotic patterns that emerge from this process. More information: https://www.essl.at/works/trobbing-crystals.html
Recorded live on June 10th, 2023 at Studio kHz. Performed on a Doepfer DARK ENERGY modular synth and a small analog mixer. No edits, no overdubs. This piece is somehow inspired by the legendary industrial noise band Throbbing Gristle. It focuses on the layering of slowly shifting pulses and the chaotic patterns that emerge from this process. More information: https://www.essl.at/works/trobbing-crystals.html
Recorded live on June 10th, 2023 at Studio kHz. Performed on a Doepfer DARK ENERGY modular synth and a small analog mixer. No edits, no overdubs. This piece is somehow inspired by the legendary industrial noise band Throbbing Gristle. It focuses on the layering of slowly shifting pulses and the chaotic patterns that emerge from this process. More information: https://www.essl.at/works/trobbing-crystals.html
Recorded live on June 10th, 2023 at Studio kHz. Performed on a Doepfer DARK ENERGY modular synth and a small analog mixer. No edits, no overdubs. This piece is somehow inspired by the legendary industrial noise band Throbbing Gristle. It focuses on the layering of slowly shifting pulses and the chaotic patterns that emerge from this process. More information: https://www.essl.at/works/trobbing-crystals.html
Excerpt of an infinite generative sound environment for a room installation by the artist Tanja Prušnik, to be shown at the Johanniterkirche Feldkirch (an abandoned church in Voralberg, Austria) from 23 June to 1 October 2023. An electronic transformation of the organ composition "Prendere il Fa" (2021), performed by Wolfgang Kogert. This piece has been created with a computer program written in Max, utilizing composition algorithms from my RTC-lib (Real Time Composition Library) (1991-2022) https://www.essl.at/works/spuren.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded on the North Bohemian river Ohře/Eger between 16 and 18 May 2023:1) the river at Loket2) railway station in Perštein3) a thermal spring in Karlovy Vary4) the St. Nicholas fountain in the historical centre of Cheb/EgerPart of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Performed by Wolfgang Kogert at Hofmusikkapelle Vienna. Part of the album ORGANO/LOGICS (col legno 2023).The expansion of the note f ("Fa") into a wide octave sound is transformed into a sensual sound process.https://www.essl.at/records/organologics.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones to enjoy the 3D audio!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Plzeň (Pilsen, CZ) between 20 and 21 May 2023:1) Bells ringing at 6 pm from St Bartholomew's Cathedral2) "Poesiomat" - a poetry jukebox https://poesiomat.cz/en/what-is-poesiomat/3) a walk along the Mže river next to the Pilsner Urqell brewery4) a street café in the pedestrian zone of the historic town centrePart of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Amsterdam between 10 and 12 May 2023.1) Vondelpark in the evening2) Platform of the M5 metro at the Central Station3) Visitors of the Vermeer exhibition in the Rijksmuseum4) Art lovers at the Stedelijk MuseumReleased: 13 May 2023
Recorded on 27 April 2023 with a sculpture by the artist Emmerich Weissenberger, commissioned by Martin Essl. Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes.:1) Unwrapping of the sculpture2) Karlheinz and Martin improvising on the sculpture with different mallets3) Rubbing and rolling walnuts found in the workspace4) Playing with my hands on a vase by Nora RuzsicsPart of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (Hearing Entirely Artificial Dreams): https://essl.at/works/HEAD.htmlReleased: 28 April 2023
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time!Performed live on Jan 12th, 2023 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time!Performed live on Dec 6th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Three part improvisations on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time!Performed live on Dec 15th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time!Performed live on Dec 6th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time! Performed live on Nov 10th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl. Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIRUF0-OQmE
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time! Performed live on Sep 28th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl.
Video: https://youtu.be/oejmpHsD0bE Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Free improvisation on a Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer mixer, patched as a generative non-linear system with internal audio feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time! Performed live on Sep 28th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl.
Video: https://youtu.be/yXZsnIrMy7o Info: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in 2019 and 2022 in different parts of the world:
1) tea ceremony at the Myoshin-ji Zen Temple in Kyoto, Japan 2) eating Sichuan food in an authentic restaurant in Vienna, Austra 3) a walk through Naschmarkt, the famous food market in Vienna, Austria 4) women cooking in the Thanjavur temple in Tamil Nadu, India
Released: 26 Sep 2022
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded between 15 and 20 September 2022 on the island of Sardinia, Italy: 1) a street market in San Pantaleo 2) the port of the island La Maddalena 3) beach scenery at Spiaggia Mannena 4) water sprinklers at Hotel Airone
Released: 22 Sep 2022 Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Performed live on Aug 31th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl, using a self-patched Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer analog mixer with internal feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time! Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LPCQpTnTsec
More information here: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Performed live on Aug 29th, 2022 at Studio kHz by Karlheinz Essl, using a self-patched Make Noise 0-coast analog synth and a small Behringer analog mixer with internal feedback. No edits, no overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - only manual control in real time! Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YrgO0YDh1do
More information here: https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Thursday July 14th, 2022 in and around St. Veit an der Glan, Carinthia. Released: 20 Jul 2022
1) beach scene at the lake of St. Georgen 2) a group of men bowling near the wooden church of Dreifaltigkeit 3) on a bench next to the church of St. Veit 4) outdoor dining place on the main square of St. Veit
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Part of the work-in-progress HEAD https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Sunday July 3rd, 2022 at Miramare/Trieste. Released: 5 Jul 2022
1) lotus pond in the park Miramare 2) seagulls and waves on the shore 3) walking along the beach promenade 4) pedestrian path to Miramare Castle
Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes of birds, recorded between 2019 and 2022:
1) Feeding pigeons in a sidewalk cafe in Funchal, Madeira 2) Chickens in the morning at Ieud, Romania 3) Biosphere forest in Mauerbach near Vienna 4) Rain in the monastery of Moldovita, Romania
Released: 5 Jun 2022
Fixed-media composition based on John 1, 1-5 using (mostly) computer-generated voices in 24 different languages with 12 male and 12 female speakers, processed by a computer program written in MaxMSP.
https://www.essl.at/works/erat-Verbum.html
Released: 22 Apr 2022
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Based on a joint performance by Jack Hauser and Karlheinz Essl in the room installation "Wohnung Miryam van Doren" in Horn (Austria) on April 13th, 2022.
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on April 13th, 2022 in Horn (Austria). Released: 14 Apr 2022
1) exploration #1 of Wohnung Miryam van Doren with Jack Hauser 2) exploration #2 of Wohnung Miryam van Doren with Jack Hauser 3) the church square in Horn 4) nature with birds at the river Kamp
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between March 25-29, 2022 in the London Underground. Released: 2 Apr 2022
1) a ride on the Central Line from West Kensington to Sloane Square 2) passengers, boats and planes on the Thames Walk near London Bridge 3) Liverpool Street Station in the morning 4) Paddington Station in the afternoon
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Random walk through the electronic interludes of Gold.Berg.Werk (a radical re-interpretation of JS Bach's Goldberg Variations) from the CD recording of this piece (Dublin 2020). Binaural rendering by Karlheinz Essl. Released: 8 Jan 2022
Performed live by Keiko Morikawa (voice) Francesco Cuoghi(guitar) on Dec 18th, 2021 at Chiesa di San Paolo entro le Mura in Rome, Italy during the festival Contemporaneamente - De Natura Sonorum: ALEATORIO.
"Puzzle of Purcell" is a piece for mezzo soprano and electric guitar based on two songs of Henry Purcell (1659-1695): "Music for a while" (from the theater play „Oedipus”) and the famous "Cold Song" from his semi-opera „King Arthur”. Selected fragments of those songs form the material of my composition, where they are shuffled and re-combined in a highly intuitive manner. The electric guitar adds a new dimension to this music, which was originally rooted in the early English baroque by introducing sounds and playing techniques from rock music and heavy metal. By this, a new image has been rendered which bridges a time span of more than 300 years, telling a tale about grief and solace.
Score and more: https://www.essl.at/works/purcell-puzzle.html
Spatial audio - listen with headphones!
Random walk through the dance/sound/performance "Forms of Life", shown on Dec 18th, 2021 at OFF-Theater Vienna, feat. Andrea Nagl (choreography, dance, instruments)and Karlheinz Essl (composition, live-electronics).
https://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html https://www.essl.at/works/forms-of-life.html
TAU is a 14-part ensemble piece for flute, clarinet, french horn, accordion, violoncello and voice. It was developed collaboratively by the composers Karlheinz Essl, Tanja Elisa Glinsner, Jakob Gruchmann-Bernau and Till Alexander Körber during the COVID pandemic 2020/2021.
TAU XII was written by Karlheinz Essl and had its premier on Sep 18th, 2021 at the seminar church of Tanzenberg/Plešivec (Carinthia), performed by Tanja Elisa Glinsner: mezzo soprano, Elisabeth Möst: flute, Andreas Schablas: clarinets, Daniel Loipold: french horn, Eva Maria Mitter: accordion, Barbara Körber: cello and conducted by Jakob Gruchmann-Bernau.
https://www.essl.at/works/TAU.html
The central point of departure is the 14-part picture cycle The Blue TAU of Hope (The Piran Way of the Cross) by the Slovenian-Carinthian painter Valentin Oman, born in 1935, which is currently on display in the parish church of Tanzenberg/Plešivec. The form of the cycle is intended to trace the shape of a cross, which also determines the instrumentation of the individual stations. Each of the composers has individually composed three of these stations; the first and last were worked out together. By way, different individual styles come together, which, however, come to unity in the overall work. This finds its climax in two jointly composed movements where the divergent individual styles are fused together by a common harmonic conception. Thus, TAU can also be seen as a symbol of the integration of diversity and different identities.
Interactive and immersive environment in 3D sound, to be listened with headphones! Commissioned by the festival Musikprotokoll (Graz 2021) for the project "tingles & clicks". Demo version (Teaser).
https://www.essl.at/works/the-other-day.html
This piece was written during the COVID_19 lockdown. Trapped in my house for weeks, I felt an urgent need to break out of my den and explore unknown areas of my immediate surroundings. Equipped with binaural microphones that can be plugged directly into the ears, I recorded the sounds of the environment. During these excursions, words spontaneously came to my mind which later I transformed into poems. They appear as mysterious whispering voices in different languages (German, English, French, Italian). Besides this, one will hear sounds that seem to emerge from a completely different - more transcendent - world: electronically transformed organ sounds and church bells. With headphones, this piece can be experienced as spatial audio in 3D sound.
In memory of 9/11 which happened exactly 20 years ago. Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Sep 11th, 2021 in Salzburg, Austria:
1) the arrival hall of the railway station Salzburg 2) a rehearsal of a mass at the Cathedrale of Salzburg 3) on the stairs between the cathedrale and the fortress 4) pedestrians in the famous Getreidegasse in Salzburg
Released: 11 Sep 2021
Performed by Isabel Ettenauer on a Michelsonne toy piano on July 24th, 2021 at Kulturbrücke Fratres.
Score and more: https://www.essl.at/works/webernspielwerk.html
On September 15, 1945, Anton Webern was shot by an American occupation soldier in alleged self-defense in Mittersill, where he had taken refuge from the approaching Red Army. Thus ended the life of one of the most influential composers of the modern era in an inconceivable and tragic way.
60 years later - on September 15, 2005 - two commemorative events for Anton Webern will take place within the framework of the 10th Composers' Forum Mittersill: for an event in public space, Karlheinz Essl has created the algorithmic sound installation WebernUhrWerk for computer-controlled Carillon. For the subsequent commemorative concert in St. Anna's Church, he wrote WebernSpielWerk for Toy Piano, which is a kind of projection of the Carillon music onto a toy piano. The pervasive character of the carillon, which filled the whole place in the afternoon, is reduced to the "poor" sound world of a toy piano, whose sound produced by struck metal rods resembles that of a bell - but is much more restrained and intimate.
Performed and recorded on 10 Mar 2019 by Karlheinz Essl at Studio kHz using a virtual Steinway D grand piano and a Max patch.
Karlheinz Essl's latest composition for toy piano performed by Isabel Ettenauer (Michelsonne toy piano) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics)on July 24th, 2021 at the festival Kulturbrücke Fratres.
This composition is an transformation of the original piano piece Trois cent notes where the resonances of the sympathetic strings of the grand piano are simulated by electronic means. By this, the toy piano becomes a new instrument with an artificial sustain pedal.
More information and score download at: https://www.essl.at
Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D.
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in spring 2021 at various creeks in Lower Austria and processed with MaxMSP:
1) Krumpenwasser ("Gießgang") inside the Stockerauer Au 2) an artificial creek ("Fischwanderhilfe") at the Danube power plant Greifenstein 3) the river Schwechat which flows through Helenental close to the monastery of Heiligenkreuz 4) the Mauerbach near the Carthusian monastery of the same name
Deploração was written in autumn 2020 for the concert project "Lamenti" by the newly founded guitar duo santorsa~pereyra. It was premiered on Mar 26th, 2021 at "Schwere Reiter" in Munich.
The piece is not a duo in the conventional sense. The instruments neither engage in a musical dialogue nor accompany each other. Instead, the two guitars together form a meta-instrument. On it, two musicians play a solo piece together as a collective mourning work.
One guitarist performs only bottleneck glissandi with the right hand (the left is used solely for muting). The other plucks only the low E string in a wide variety of sound colors and articulations.
The idea of lament is transformed into musical gestures. "Always rolling the same stone up the same mountain" (Heiner Müller) - a truly Sisyphean task! The continual ascent and descent take place with relentless rigor. As if the screw of pain and sorrow is being turned tighter and tighter - until the lament and its sound finally die away.
More info and score for download: https://www.essl.at/works/deploracao.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes with animals, recorded between 2019-2021 at various locations in Austria:
1) pigsty in Carinthia 2) pasture with Angus cattle near Raabs/Thaya 3) pond with bathing dogs at the Prater, Vienna 4) a toddler feeding sheep, goats, and a goose in an animal enclosure near Greifenstein
Info: https://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
SATOR is an interactive live-electronic extension of my organ piece "tenet opera rotas", based on a computer program written in MaxMSP. It was composed right after the studio recording of the former piece at the request of Pier Damiano Peretti. By using real-time sound processing on the spectral domain, the acoustic organ is transformed into an electroacoustic hyper-instrument which expands itself, opening virtual spaces into the unknown.
Info: https://www.essl.at/works/sator.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Live-electronic sound performance based on a computer program written in MaxMSP. Recorded live at Studio kHz on 22 Feb 2021. No edits, no overdubs.
Info: https://www.essl.at/works/apres-lavant.html
A palindromic organ piece by Karlheinz Essl in memory of Anton Webern and the 75th anniversary of his tragic death on September 15th, 1945.
Recorded with Pier Damiano Peretti at Heillersaal of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna on 17 Feb 2021. Edited and mastered by Karlheinz Essl.
https://www.essl.at/works/tenet-opera-rotas.html
300 notes in 4 minutes, the most recent toy piano composition by Karlheinz Essl.
Score available for free: www.essl.at
Although notated solely in quavers, the tempo encompasses a wide range from very slow to extremely fast. Starting with a speed of MM = 50, it gradually accelerates to MM = 400 which equals three “time octaves”, speaking with Karlheinz Stockhausen (cf. his famous article ...how time passes... from 1957). A similar transition also happens in the harmonic domain where the range of three octaves (from F to f”) finally collapses into a single pitch (f'):
And also in the dynamics, a permanent process of crescendo and diminuendo takes place. Needless to mention, all these processes happen simultaneously at the same time. Despite its strict structure, the piece should be played in a fluent rubato attitude with lots of espressivo.
Produced by Karlheinz Essl on April 12th, 2020 at Studio Ölberg.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between 2018-2020 in different forest in Europe, Africa, and Asia:
1) bamboo grove at Mt. Inari near Kyoto, Japan with Swiss hikers passing by 2) stereophonic water lapping at Levada do Carniçal, Madeira 3) within a dried up corn field near Lake Wörth in Carinthia, Austria 4) a meadow with crickets inside the alluvial forest of the Danube near Stockerau, Austria
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on May 1st, 2019 in Cluj, Romania:
1) inside Biserica Franciscană, a catholic church at the historical center 2) inside Catedrala Mitropolitană, an orthodox temple 3) next to the old city wall 4) families with kids at Parcul Central Simion Bărnutju
Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between 2019 and 2020 during rehearsals with Karlheinz Essl in Vienna, Austria:
1) dress rehearsal of the Arditti Quartet performing Essl's 3rd string quartet at the Mozartsaal of Konzerthaus Vienna 2) setting up the space for a concert of Essl's composition class with the Bösendorfer CEUS computer piano at the University of Music and Performing Art in Vienna 3) Ensemble Reconsil rehearsing Essl's toy piano concerto "under wood" at REAKTOR in Vienna 4) organ registration for Essl's piece "unbestimmt" at the St. Michael, Vienna for a concert of the festival WIEN MODERN
http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Performed by the Arditti Quartet on Nov 1st, 2001 at Konzerthaus Vienna during the festival Wien modern. Binaural recording - listen with headphones! http://www.essl.at/works/upward.html
In his story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges tells of a fictional culture whose language has no nouns at all:
"There is no word that corresponds to the word 'moon', but there is a verb that would be 'lunare' in Latin or ‘to moon' in our language. ‘The moon rose above the river’ reads: blör u fang axaxcas mlö or in exact order of the words: 'Empor hinter dauer-fließen mondet'es (Xul Solar translates in a short form: upa tras perfluyue lunó. Upward, behind the onstreaming it mooned)."
In this language, the simplest statements can only be expressed through complicated grammatical constructions, which are, however, full of poetry and magic, as in the example quoted above, to which my quartet owes its title.
The string quartet has always been regarded as the supreme discipline of composition and a place of musical experimentation: four equal individuals - embodied by four string instruments - enter into a musical discourse, as if "four reasonable people are talking to each other", as Goethe once remarked.
But what happens if this (sound) language no longer functions unconditionally because it has been stripped from one of its most essential elements - the nouns? This paradoxical question fascinated me immensely when I began composing my third string quartet. In this piece I abandoned melodic formulations, which - as the epitome of the thematic - once functioned as the nouns of a musical language.
This deliberately chosen constraint (which I learned from the French poet Georges Perec, who wrote an entire novel without the letter 'e') I considered less as a restriction than as a liberation from certain musical clichés that still cling to the genre of the string quartet. In this piece I concentrated only on a few basic elements: long stretched drones, moving textures, pulsations and expressive sound eruptions. Like an alchemist in his laboratory, I allowed a plethora of musical figures to sprout, which are artfuyll interwoven in order to obtain a maximum of expressive sound intensity.
Comment on the Wienerlied "Herrgott aus Sta" by Karl Hodina, performed by Konstantin Reymaier at the new Giant Organ of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna on Sep 27th, 2020. - Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
http://www.essl.at/works/herrgott.html
Binaural recording of the toy piano concerto "under wood", performed by Isabel Ettenauer (toy pianos) and Ensemble Reconscil Vienna (dir. Antanina Kalechyts) on OCt 7th, 2020 at REAKTOR Wien (A). Listen with headphones! http://www.essl.at/works/underwood.html
Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between August 2-4, 2020 in the Castle of Lockenhaus (Burgenland) during cultural talks with representatives of the Austrian music life about the COVID-19 crisis: 1) a round-table discussion on cultural politics), 2) setting up the space for the next panel discussion, 3) morning concert played by the pianist Marino Formenti, 4) thunderstorm with rain and flashes.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in 2018 and 2020 at four different churches: 1) evangelical morning service London-Brompton, UK), 2) catholic mass (Funchal Cathedral, Madeira), 3) church concert (Vienna-Lainz, Austria), 4) church cleaning (Tulcea, Romania). Contains organ music from Johannes Ockeghem and from the Buxheim Organ Book.
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (Hearing Entirely Artificial Dreams) http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Karlheinz Essl und Eva Linder über ihre Zusammenarbeit für das Hörstück ZUNGENREDEN, das 1990 für das ORF Kunstradio im Studio RP4 produziert wurde. Moderation und Gestaltung: Reinhard Handl Redaktion: Heidi Grundmann
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between 2019 and 2020 in four different parks around the world: 1) Brompton Park (London, UK), 2) Pötzleinsdorfer Schlosspark (Vienna, Austria), 3) Ryoan-ji Temple Garden (Kyoto, Japan), 4) ressort park (Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India). - Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in 2018 and 2019 at four different bathing locations: 1) Wörthersee (Pörtschach, Carinthia), 2) doggie pool inside the Prater (Vienna, Austria), 3) public beach in Sirmione (Lake Garda, Itay), 4) swimming lake with children (Suchdol nad Lužnicí, Czech Republic).
"vingt secondes" is Karlheinz Essl's shortest composition. It lasts only 20 seconds - the guideline for washing one's hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was written during the lockdown in the Easter holidays of 2020. Originally written for melodica, this version was performed on the organ of the Hofburgkapelle Vienna by Wolfgang Kogert.
Compositionally, the piece expresses a harmonic spread from a single note to three octaves at the end.
More information and free score download: http://www.essl.at/works/vingt-secondes.html
"vingt secondes" is Karlheinz Essl's shortest composition. It lasts only 20 seconds - the guideline for washing one's hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was written during the lockdown in the Easter holidays of 2020. Originally written for melodica, this version was performed on an accordion by Dorrit Bauerecker who also made this recording.
Compositionally, the piece expresses a harmonic spread from a single note to three octaves at the end.
More information and free score download: http://www.essl.at/works/vingt-secondes.html
Binaural recording: listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vienna and its surrounding: 1) a railway crossing gate in Klosterneuburg, 2) Kongresspark in Vienna on Saturday noon, 3) animal cemetery in Vienna, 4) pedestrian bridge in the swamps of Stockerau.
Karlheinz Essl's contribution to the Beethoven Year 2020: an immersive composition for mixed choir with 16 voices based on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from his 9th symphony. Realized with the a-capella-chor tulln (dir. Gottfried Zawichowski). Composed in April 2020 during the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information and score available for download from http://www.essl.at/works/freude-funken.html
Meditation for piano solo, dedicated to Karlheinz Roschitz, performed by Kaori Nishii. Recorded live during an online concert on April 29th, 2020 at Alte Schmiede, Vienna.
Score download: http://www.essl.at/works/roschitz.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Nov 18th, 2019 at the Nijo Palace in Kyoto, Japan. 1) the so-called Nightingale Corridor 2) tea garden 3) cherry grove 4) construction at the Honmaru Garden
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Nov 17-24, 2019 in Kyoto, Japan.
1) playground near the Nijo Palace 2) street scene with cars, bikes and joggers 3) ritual music at the Higashimaru Shrine 4) rehearsal of J.B. Staudt's Mulier fortis at the Museum of Kyoto.
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Christmas greetings to all my loves! Dronification of a well-known Christmas carol by Karlheinz Essl, produced on Dec 18th, 2019 at Studio kHz.
Extreme time stretch of the well-known Christmas carol "Silent Night", playing forwards and backwards in exactly 24'12". Created on 21 Dec 2019 with Karlheinz Essl's granular sound file shredder REplay PLAYer. http://www.essl.at/works/replay.html
Live recording of the premiere, performed by students of the Kyoto City University of the Arts (conductor: Ingomar Rainer) on 21 Nov 2019 at the Kyoto Museum.
This piece is a composed comment to the baroque opera "Mulier fortis" by J. B. Staudt, premiered 1698 in Vienna, Austria.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/constantia.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Nov 23-24, 2019 in Seoul, Rep. of Korea: 1) Buddhist chanting at the Jogyesa temple, 2) anti-government demonstration in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, 3) moments of silence at the old city wall, 4) at the backside of Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
Info: http://www.essl.at
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in February 2019 at the following locations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, South India:
1) Thanjavur: hotel window 2) Varkala: fishermen at the beach 3) Alleppey: house boat 4) Ooty: garden of Hotel Savoy
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (Hearing Entirely Artificial Dreams) http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Nov 7th, 2019 in Vienna at Kunsthistorisches Museum (exhibition "Caravaggio & Bernini") and the Italian Cultural Institute (finissage Andreas Lunghi "TACET" with Karlheinz Essl's sound installation "Checkin' my Shrutis").
1) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Saal IV (Caravaggio) 2) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer 3) Italian Cultural Institute: sound walk 4) Italian Cultural Institute: exhibition space
Studio recording of a dance performance with live-electronics, performed by Andrea Nagl (ocean drum, shrutibox, Klangfeile, voice, bells & dance)and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics, composition).
More info: http://www.essl.at/works/forms-of-life.html
A short excerpt of the dance performance "Forms of Life" feat. Andrea Nagl (voice) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics). Recorded live at Studio kHz on Oct 31st, 2019.
Recorded live at INTONAZIONE festival on 20 Sep 2019 at Eremo Santa Caterina in Rio nell'Elba, performed by Rafał Zalech (viola & live-electronics)during a dance performance of Andrea Nagl. Mixed and produced by Karlheinz Essl.
"Sequitur" is a series of compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which was started in 2008. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument.
All Sequitur compositions use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities become blurred. Each piece can be performed by the player alone who just has to press a key on the computer keyboard whenever this is indicated in the score. The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
More information: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur.html
Recorded live at INTONAZIONE festival on 20 Sep 2019 at Eremo Santa Caterina in Rio nell'Elba, performed by Rafał Zalech (viola & live-electronics)during a dance performance of Andrea Nagl. Mixed and produced by Karlheinz Essl.
Sequitur is a series of compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which I started in 2008. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument.
All Sequitur compositions use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities become blurred. Each piece can be performed by the player alone who just has to press a key on the computer keyboard whenever this is indicated in the score. The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
More information: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur.html
„Prends le Fa” consists of three movements which have to be played attaca after each fermata.
I. Trois cent notes II. Tremblant III. Le même, différent...
The sustain pedal has to be depressed throughout the piece and should not be lifted between the movements.
Although notated solely in quavers, the tempo encompasses a wide range from very slow to extremely fast. Despite its strict structure, the piece should be played in a fluent rubato attitude with lots of espressivo. And don’t forget: it’s a sound piece, not a piano etude.
Recorded by Karlheinz Essl in January 2019 on a virtual Steinway grand piano (binaural).
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on November 17th, 2018 at the premiere of Georg Nussbaumers "Atlas der gesamten Musik und aller angrenzenden Gebiete", performed by 300 students of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna during the festival WIEN MODERN:
1) four groups of wind instruments at the foyer 2) a walk from a clarinet quartet towards a cello ensemble at Haydnsaal 3) a salsa group alternating with and harpist Luise Adler and the so-called "piano hell" 4) people walking through the campus park.
Mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Komponisten Georg Nussbaumers, der MDW (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien) und des Festivals WIEN MODERN.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Dedicated to Jörg Duit and his festival INTONAZIONE.
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in September 2019 on the Island of Elba, Italy:
1) Piazza del Popolo in Rio nell'Elba 2) the Elba Rally witnessed from afar 3) breaking of waves at Spiaggia del Cannello 4) a nightly thunderstorm in Rio nell'Elba
More information: http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded on September 2018 and September 2019 in Salò, Italy:
1) inside the ancient dome 2) at the pier 3) standing in the middle of the pedestrian zone 4) sitting at the bar of Caffé Vassalli
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Aug 23rd and 24th, 2019 in the South of France:
1) horse feeding in the Camargue 2) sunrise near Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer with blackbirds 3) street restaurant at Aigues-Mortes in the evening 4) pedestrian zone in Montpellier with music boxes
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on April 27th, 2019 in Hamburg, Germany: 1) Elbe shore vis-à-vis Landungsbrücken 2) public park "Planten un Bloemen" 3) Radisson Blu hotel with a self-playing Yamaha Disklavier 4) walking through the Kunstgewerbemuseum with harpsichordist Goska Isphording rehearsing.
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in spring and summer 2019 in Klagenfurt, Austria: 1) early morning at Lake Wörth, 2) skater at Neuer Platz close to the Lindworm fountain, 3) bakery Wienerroither at the main train station, 4) evening atmosphere in Pörtschach.
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.htm
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes with kids, recorded in spring and summer 2019: 1) beach of a small lake near Suchdol (CZ) 2) kids animation room at the South Bohemian Museum in Budweis (CZ) 3) visitor's platform of the so-called "Fire Tower" in Sopron (HU) 4) skating ring at Lake Neusiedl in Rust (A)
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between July 17-18th, 2019 in Linz, Austria: 1) breakfast buffet at Hotel Goldener Adler, 2) nudism beach at a small lake called "Weikerlsee", 3) steel-mill at VÖEST, 4) sound sculpture with mathematicians at Bruckner University.
Part of the project H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
The first hour of the generative drone scape "Checkin' my Shrutis...", recorded by Karlheinz Essl on July 9th, 2019 at Studio kHz. The entire piece lasts for twelve hours, slowly cycling through a sequence of 25 chords, played on a chromatic Shrutibox and recorded by Karlheinz Essl. For deep listening, meditation and relaxation.
Learn more about the creation of this piece: http://www.essl.at/works/CMS.html
Generative improvisation environment based on Karlheinz Essl's soundscape generator fLOW, created for guitarist Francesco Cuoghi. Premiered during the festival TODAYs MUSIC in Rome on June 21st, 2019 at Biblioteca Sandro Onofri.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/flow-per-sandro.html
Granular de/re/construction of W. A. Mozart's string quintet in g minor (KV 516)performed live by Karlheinz Essl during the dance performance "LamenToys" on May 17th, 2019 at brick-5 in Vienna. The sound was transmitted via a transducer onto the resonance board of a grand piano, the pedal of which being held all the time. Binaural recording with a Sennheiser Ambeo Headset.
Imagine yourself sitting on a carousel and circling around. On your ride, you can hear music from 4 loudspeakers that are mounted at the foot of the carousel. Only those who let their bodies swing round and round will hear, feel, and experience the music composed for this situation.
For this occasion, Karlheinz Essl has created a swirling sound environment based on his composition „Kalimba” for toy piano and electronics.
Part of „Let’s merry-go-round” - a project by musikprotokoll in collaboration with the International Summer Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
More information: http://www.essl.at/works/vertigo.html
Listen with headphones in order to enjoy the 3D sound!
Feature by composer Karlheinz Essl and poet Erwin Uhrmann about the City of Graz, Austria. Based on binaural soundscape recorded in various places of this beautiful and vivid town. Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (Hearing Entirely Ambient Domains) http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
300 notes in 4 minutes, a brand new composition by Karlheinz Essl, originally scored for piano, played on a vibraphone with the depressed sustain pedal.
Score available for free: www.essl.at
Although notated solely in quavers, the tempo encompasses a wide range from very slow to extremely fast. Starting with a speed of MM = 50, it gradually accelerates to MM = 400 which equals three “time octaves”, speaking with Karlheinz Stockhausen (cf. his famous article ...how time passes... from 1957). A similar transition also happens in the harmonic domain where the range of three octaves (from F to f”) finally collapses into a single pitch (f'):
And also in the dynamics, a permanent process of crescendo and diminuendo takes place. Needless to mention, all this processes happen simultaneously at the same time. Despite its strict structure, the piece should be played in a fluent rubato attitude with lots of espressivo.
Recorded by Karlheinz Essl on January 17th, 2019 at Studio kHz. Binaural recording - listen with headphones.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in February 2019 in South India: 1) vegetable market in Mysore, 2) a bronze workshop in Thanyavur, 3) morning atmosphere on a houseboat in the backwaters of Allepey, 4) fishermen pulling out a net from the sea near Varkala.
Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
300 notes in 4 minutes, a brand new composition by Karlheinz Essl played on a Steinway piano with depressed sustain pedal.
Score available for free: http://www.essl.at
Although notated solely in quavers, the tempo encompasses a wide range from very slow to extremely fast. Starting with a speed of MM = 50, it gradually accelerates to MM = 400 which equals three “time octaves”, speaking with Karlheinz Stockhausen (cf. his famous article ...how time passes... from 1957). A similar transition also happens in the harmonic domain where the range of three octaves (from F to f”) finally collapses into a single pitch (f'):
And also in the dynamics, a permanent process of crescendo and diminuendo takes place. Needless to mention, all this processes happen simultaneously at the same time. Despite its strict structure, the piece should be played in a fluent rubato attitude with lots of espressivo.
Prpduced by Karlheinz Essl on January 9th, 2019 at Studio kHz. Binaural recording - listen with headphones.
Binaural rendering of a live recording - listen with headphones!
In "Miles to go", four toy pianists are treated as a single unit, forming a single meta-instrument. They are not merely playing different voices, but contributing to a common sound that they are creating together. The dense and fast hammering at independent tempos creates haunting phasing effects that appear as an aural rendering of the well-known visual moiré patterns. These hectic and breathless movements evoke moments of stress and unrest but at a certain point, become transformed by the listener to the opposite: a quality of calmness. Finally, another transformation takes place when the percussive attacks are gradually replaced by soft and flowing sounds, which are achieved by stroking and scratching the soundboard with the handle of a percussion mallet.
Performed by Isabel Ettenauer, Jennifer Hymer, Stefan Weinzirl, Bernhard Fograscher (toy pianos), conducted by Daniel Moreira on 27 Sep 2014 at Laieszhalle, Hamburg (D) during Non-Piano / Toy Piano Weekend.
Direct-to-disc recording by Karlheinz Essl (2014). Binaural rendering with IEM Ambisonics Plugins by Gerhard Eckel (December 2018).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/miles2go.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between December 15-16th, 2018 in Berlin, Germany: 1) a cemetry in Kreuzberg, close to the grave of E.T.A. Hoffmann 2) a ride on the metro line U7 between Südstern and Grenzwall 3) my sound installation AIR BORNE at the Aerodynamic Park of the Humboldt University in Adlershof 4) audience at Volksbühne just before the concert of Irmin Schmidt, the founder of CAN.
Dedicated to my friend Jack Hauser for his 60th birthday. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.hmtl
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Binaural rendering of Karlheinz Essl's sound environment SEELEWASCHEN which was originally composed for an outdoor light installation by the German artist Rainer Gottemeier. Using the sound of one single bell stroke as its basic material, the piece unfolds a rich sonic cosmos by a computer program written in Max/MSP. By using random-controlled algorithms from the composer's Realtime Composition Library (RTC-Lib), the piece is generated in realtime. It can be perceived as a sonic organism which might serve as a source for inspiration and meditation.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on December 7th, 2018 in Salzburg, Austria: 1) pedestrian zone Linzer Gasse, 2) horse carts at the Christmas market, 3) rehearsal of a male choir and a brass ensemble at the Salzburg Cathedral 4) silence inside Franziskanerkirche.
More information: www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walks between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on November 27th, 2018 at the collection of mechanical music instruments of the Technical Museum Vienna:
1) demonstration of the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina player piano, 2) demonstration of a mechanical barrel organ, 3) a quite exhibition space with the mechanical music instruments, 4) a walk through the museum from the top level down to the exit.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on November 5th, 2018 at the Grand Hall of Konzerthaus Vienna during project "Casino Cage" of the festival WIEN MODERN:
1) audience entering the hall, 2) sounds of the roulette table which was used to determine the sequence of pieces 3) excerpts of Luciano Berio's "Sequenza XIV" for cello solo, performed by Anna Maria Niemiec 4) excerpts of Luciano Berio's "Sequenza VII" for oboe solo, performed by Claire Colombo.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walks between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on November 16th, 2018 at the traditional Leopoldimarkt in Klosterneuburg: 1) a verbose merchant selling his cooking knives, 2) distant sounds of the amusement park 3) a rehearsal on the famous Bruckner organ at the monastery 4) the gothic courtyard with a fountain.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between November 8-9th, 2018 in Mittersill - a small town in Salzburg, Austria where Anton Webern has been shot by an American GI on 15 Sep 1945:
1) my generative sound installation "WebernUhrWerk" played on the main square, surrounded by traffic, 2) the grave of Anton Webern at the cemetery of Mittersill, 3) snuffling cows on a meadow with cow bells, 4) a silent spot on a pasture on top of Mittersill.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Live performance by Karlheinz Essl (kalimba, live-electronics) at Norges Musikkhøgskole (Oslo, Norway) on 26 Oct 2018 at the final concert of his masterclass on realtime composition.
Ambisonic recording with a SPS-200 microphone rendered to binaural stereo.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Oct 25th and 27th, 2018 in Oslo, Norway: 1) place in front of the Royal castle, 2) street crossing with lots of trams but nearly no cars in the very center, 3) Glasmagasinet department store, 4) small café "Anne på landet" in the Vigelands park.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
ASMR-like generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walks between four binaural soundscapes, recorded by Simon Essl on Oct 6th, 2018 in Klosterneuburg, Austria: 1) morning routine, 2) departure, 3) silence in the forest 4) domestic work.
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in September 2018 at Lake Garda, Italy: 1) evening at the lake promenade in Saló with thunder and bells, 2) shore of Garda with anchored sailing boats, 3) beach of Sirmione with members of a Chinese family, 4) fountain in the park of Vittoriale in Gardone.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between May and September 2018 on various European airports:
1) check-in at Terminal 1 of the Vienna International Airport (VIE) 2) entrance hall of the railway station at the Vienna International Airport (VIE) 3) arrival hall of the Henri Coandă International Airport Bucarest (OTP) 4) riding on a conveyor belt between gate C6 and C8 at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
Listen with headphones to enjoy the surround sound!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on 6 Sep 2018 at Manfred Buchinger's restaurant "Alte Schule" in Riedenthal, Austria: 1) kitchen with chef, 2) guests in the garden outside the restaurant, 3) an empty guest room, 4) bathroom.
Binaural recording. Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive surround sound!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded between February and August 2018:
1) british-portugese small talk at the breakfast terrace of a hotel in Madeira 2) multi-lingual guests at a Chinese restaurant in Vienna 3) art education talk for schoolgirls at Kunsthalle Bremen 4) two elderly Viennese couples at the Lobau making jokes.
Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive 3D sound!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in March and April 2018 in Vienna:
1) main hall of the railway station Wien-Meidling 2) a ride on the D tram 3) entrance of the Franz-Josephs-Bahnhof 4) escalator of the metro station U4 Heiligenstadt with a violin player in the background
Binaural recording - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded between May and August 2018:
1) unloading a truck at the Danube delta in Romania 2) two luthiers (father and son) building a Braguinha in Funchal, Madeira 3) me preparing breakfast at home 4) a construction site in the outskirts of Vienna where a caterpillar is operating a jackhammer.
NB: Listen with headphones to experience the immersive surround sound!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in June and August 2018: 1) walking through the Essl Museum 2) two persons marching and running in a reverberant hall 3)a gallery with Rubens paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 4) walking through the forest of the Thaya National Park.
Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the river Thaya (Czech: "Dyje") in Austria in June and August 2018: 1) Thaya in Liebnitz, 2) Thaya National Park, 3) church bell from Hardegg, 4) water noise of a fish bassin
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html
fLOW is an audio computer program running on Apple Macintosh machines. It generates an ever-changing and never repeating soundscape in real time that fills the space with flooding sounds that resemble - metaphorically - the timbres of water, fire, earth, and air. This ambient soundscape generator adjusts itself through various parameters and controllers that are represented in real time on your screen.
Download software: http://www.essl.at/software.html
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the Prater, a famous amusement park in Vienna, Austria on Aug 11th, 2018: 1) Achterbahn (outside recording of a rollercoaster) 2) Hochschaubahn (riding on an vintage rollercoaster which is suited for kids) 3) Geisterbahn (a ride on a ghost train) 4) Liliputbahn (a ride on miniature steam locomotive through the park).
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural recordings made at Lunz, Austria on Aug 7th, 2018: 1) hikers escaping an approaching thunderstorm 2) rain and thunder at the courtyard of the castle 3) swimming in the lake, 4) ride on an electric canoe through a narrow water canal.
Soundscapes recorded with Sennheiser Ambeo Headset. Generative software written in Max7 with objects from Karlheinz Essl's RTC-lib. © 2018 by Karlheinz Essl
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural recordings from different spots of the Danube Delta in Romania: 1) morning atmosphere near Sulina 2) evening atmosphere near Sulina 3) frog concert with paddle boats in Canal Magearu, 4)birds singing at Lacu Iaco.
Soundscapes recorded in May 2018 with Sennheiser Ambeo Headset. Generative software written in Max7 with objects from Karlheinz Essl's RTC-lib. © 2018 by Karlheinz Essl
Radiofeature von Alfred Koch über den Komponisten Karlheinz Essl. Erstsendung: 9 Juni 2006, 22:15 (Ö1 Tonspuren)
Der Komponist Karlheinz Essl ist ein Erforscher der Zwischenräume von Klang und Geräusch. Manchmal blubbert, kracht, pfeift und zischt es in seinen Kompositionen wie in einer Küche. "Mich haben immer Hintergrundstrukturen von Musik interessiert, ich versuche ein System zu entwickeln, das aus sich selbst heraus Klänge entwickelt", sagt Essl, für den der Zusammenhang zwischen Kochen und Komponieren nicht nur ein metaphorischer ist. Für die "Tonspuren" begibt sich der "Komponist am Laptop" in die Küche. Und bereitet, während er über Klangenvironments räsoniert, die um sich selber kreisen, ein frugales Mahl: "eine polyglotte Improvisation mit Fleisch und Gemüse".
Excerpt from Karlheinz Essl's infinite generative sound environment for an art installation by Nagl~Wintersberger at Kunstfabrik Groß Siegharts. Presented during the Viertelfestival 2018 between July 7th and August 5th, 2018.
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural recordings from different spots in the region of Retz, Austria: 1) the main square in the city of Retz 2) Czech people talking in a bar in Šatov 3) birds singing near the river Thaya, 4) a so-called "Kellergasse" in Retz.
Soundscapes recorded on June 8th, 2018 with Sennheiser Ambeo Headset. Generative software written in Max7 with objects from Karlheinz Essl's RTC-lib. © 2018 by Karlheinz Essl
Listen with headphones! Binaural sound performance by Karlheinz Essl as a sonic comment to Peter Paul Ruben's painting "Landscape with Thunderstorm" (1620-1636). Broadcasted on May 13th, 2018 at the KUNSTRADIO of the Austrian Radio Ö1. Presentation: Anna Soucek.
More information: http://www.essl.at/bibliogr/essl-soucek_kunstradio.html
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece!
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural recordings from different spots in the city of Vienna, Austria: 1) Café Mozart near the Opera 2) reading hall of the Austrian National Library, 3) children’s playground at Draschepark, 4) pond near Gerasdorf with swimmer and kids.
Soundscapes recorded between March and April 2018 with Sennheiser Ambeo Headset. Generative software written in Max7 with objects from Karlheinz Essl's RTC-lib. © 2018 by Karlheinz Essl
Radio live performance by Karlheinz Essl at ORF Kunstradio, Vienna on 25 Feb 2001, preceded by an interview with Susanna Niedermayr. http://www.essl.at/works/replay.html
REplay PLAYer is Karlheinz Essl’s contribution to the Kunstradio Series RE-PLAY UPDATE. Karlheinz Essl approached the exemplary selection of sound material presented in in the exhibition "RE-PLAY Beginning of International Media Art in Austria” with reference to their compositional usability. A special characteristic of the software developed for the project REplay PLAYer is that the supplied sound examples will be sampled, fragmented, and newly arranged according to a given score during the live-performance. Karlheinz Essl performance his piece with m@ze°2, a real-time composition and improvisation tool, that is likewise computer-based and that the artist himself developed in 1996.
With his project REplay PLAYer, Karlheinz Essl is following his vision once again of a Music "that is composed, as if from itself (auto-poetic), in the moment of its sounding." The sound material presented in the exhibition will be freed from ist object-ness and newly defined through the performance, which is concieved as an open process.
The REplay PLAYer is not a finished work of art, but a meta-composition, from which endless images of sound can be originated. The software written for this project can be downloaded from http://www.essl.at/works/replay.html
NB: Listen with headphones to enjoy the immersive sound of this piece.
Generative soundscape based on a random walk between four binaural recordings from different spots in the city of Graz, Austria: 1) farmers market near the Opera, 2) street crossing at the Stadtpark with cars, motorbikes and bicycles, 3) trams, busses and passengers at Jakominiplatz, 4) birds and a creek in the park of the Music University with a distant vibraphone.
Soundscapes recorded on April 19th, 2018 with Sennheiser Ambeo Headset. Generative software written in Max7 with objects from my RTC-lib. © 2018 by Karlheinz Essl
Excerpt from the generative sound installation SEELEWASCHEN, a multi-channel sound environment for a light installation by Rainer Gottemeier for the Donaufestival 2004. Info: http://www.essl.at/works/seelewaschen.html
OUT OF THE BLUE Agnes Heginger: voice Karlheinz Essl: electronics
This live recording is based on spontaneous improvisations performed by OUT OF THE BLUE at the Danube Festival on Aug 6th, 2017. The live-electronics are based on pre-recorded sound samples which are processed in realtime by computer algorithms, developed by composer Karlheinz Essl. Agnes Heginger’s magnificent voice freely meanders through a maze of texts by German and Austrian poets like Ingeborg Bachmann, Joachim Ringelnatz and Christine Nöstlinger. The result is an hermetic, megalithic, cathartic, and evocative sound experience.
Released on 22 Aug 2017 by Nachtstück Records.
Performed at MUMOK (Vienna) on Jan 21st, 2018. Bulenda Felicia, Krenn Elisabeth, Reis Pedro, Wurzer Edeltraud: clarinets
Four clarinets are positioned in the corner points of a virtual square around the audience. The score is organized in a sort of chess board with 7x7 fields. Each field contains a musical phrase which duration is left to the discretion of the player. After finishing a phrase, the player makes a pause of an undefined length. Then he proceeds to the next motif and so on.
Each musician begins in one of the four corner fields of the grid. The entrance of the players is staggered. Player 1 starts with his phrase. When the maximum of the crescendo is reached, the second player enters, then the third and finally the forth. Each player takes an individual path through the grid following the directions of the respective arrows. Each path describes a spiral that finally ends in the center field...
Sound performance for the painting "Thunderstorm with Philemon and Baucis" (1625)by Peter Paul Rubens. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kornmüller for the theatre project GANYMED NATURE, performed at Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
"In seiner Komposition Some Way Up erforscht der Komponist Karlheinz Essl die "Gewitterlandschaft"" von Peter Paul Rubens. Vor dem Werk wird er spontan wie ein Wettermacher immer neue Stürme entfesseln, Regenmassen niederprasseln lassen und elektronische Regenbögen erschaffen." (Jacqueline Kornmüller)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/some-way-up.html
Sound environment for the photo exhibition "The Last Day" by Helmut Wimmer, shown at the Kunsthistorische Museum Vienna between March and December 2018.
Composed and produced by Karlheinz Essl at Studio kHz http://www.essl.at/works/wheres-the-rainbow.html
OUT OF THE BLUE Agnes Heginger: voice Karlheinz Essl: electronics
This live recording is based on spontaneous improvisations performed by OUT OF THE BLUE at the Danube Festival on Aug 6th, 2017. The live-electronics are based on pre-recorded sound samples which are processed in realtime by computer algorithms, developed by composer Karlheinz Essl. Agnes Heginger’s magnificent voice freely meanders through a maze of texts by German and Austrian poets like Ingeborg Bachmann, Joachim Ringelnatz and Christine Nöstlinger. The result is an hermetic, megalithic, cathartic, and evocative sound experience.
Released on 22 Aug 2017 by Nachtstück Records.
Generative sound environment for three speakers attached to moving sculptures for a dance/performance by Nagl ~ Wintersberger. Written in MaxMSP. Bass clarinet: Georg Riedl
Version for sound sculpture and live-electronics, performed by Karlheinz Essl. Recorded live at the Technical Museum Vienna, 3 Oct 2009
http://www.essl.at/works/non-sequitur.html
„non Sequitur” is a series of pieces for various gadgets (like punch-tape controlled music boxes, kalimbas or sound sculptures) and live-electronics which are side products of Karlheinz Essl's Sequitur cycle. Although the non Sequitur pieces are using a similar software as the Sequitur compositions, they are mainly based on improvisation and can only be played by Karlheinz Essl himself.
Granular re/de/construction of Mozart's string quintet in G minor (KV 516), written in Max and performed live by Karlheinz Essl on April 29th, 2017 at Studio kHz.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/mozart-lamento.html
Version for church organ and voice, performed by Wolfgang Kogert and Anna Clare Hauf on April 5th, 2017 at the Hofburgkapelle in Vienna.
Diese Musik versteht sich als Reflexion auf die Werke von Harald Naegeli, dem "Sprayer von Zürich". Es gibt in diesem Stück keine Partitur, die einen reproduzierbaren zeitlichen Verlauf festschreibt; die Musiker spielen aus von einander unabhängigen, nicht-synchronisierten Einzelstimmen. Erst durch das bewußte Reagieren auf die Klänge der anderen Instrumente entsteht - unter Berücksichtigung genauer Spielregeln - im Moment der Aufführung die Komposition. Und ebenso wie Naegeli mit an sich bedeutungsfreien "neutralen" Zeichen operiert, habe ich ein Repertoire von Partikel-Klängen entwickelt, die in ihrer reduziertesten Form von den drei Geräuschen abgeleitet sind, die eine Spraydose zu produzieren imstande ist: der kurze Punkt, der lange Strich und schließlich das rhythmische Klackern der im Inneren der Dose befindlichen Kugel. So verwandeln sich die Blasinstrumente gleichermaßen in riesige Spraydosen, die keine Farb-, sondern Klangpartikel versprühen.
Info: www.essl.at/works/partikel.html
Soundtrack of a multi-media performance by Karlheinz Essl reflecting the situation of female workers in a textile factory in Vienna in the early 20th century.
Die Musik entwickelt sich aus zwei gegensätzlichen Klangmaterialien – einem Nähmaschinengeräusch bzw. Fragmenten aus Schuberts Klavierlied „Gretchen am Spinnrade“ – und steigert sich zu hochenergetischer Klangverdichtung, die als „Wall of Sound” mit voller Härte auf das Publikum trifft. Die Klangebene sowie die ebenfalls von Karlheinz Essl als Algorithmus konzipierten Visuals befinden sich während der Live-Performance in einem ständigen, sich langsam verändernden Transformationsprozess. Dazwischen gibt es lyrische Abschnitte mit Klavierimprovisationen, die - ebenfalls bereits den Keim der Veränderung in sich tragend - sich dramatisch zu neuen Gestalten und Erlebnisqualitäten verdichten. Ganz im Sinne der alchemistischen Transmutation verändern sich auch hier die Substanzen: Der „Fabriksdreck“ und die harte Arbeit der Textilarbeiterinnen verbinden sich zu „Gold“ – und vice versa. Dies spiegelt sich auch in den von Simon Essl gesteuerten Visuals wider, wo aus acht vielfältig miteinander verknüpfbaren Bildsujets ein Film in Echtzeit generiert wird. Bild und Ton entstehen in Wechselwirkung und kommentieren sich gegenseitig. Sie erzählen eine vielfältig lesbare Geschichte, die ihre Energie aus dem Spannungsfeld von vermeintlich unvereinbaren Gegensätzen bezieht.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/fabric.html
Performed by Karlheinz Essl at Plivka, Kiev (UA) on Nov 19th, 2016 using his MaxMSP-based computer instrument m@ze°2.
http://www.essl.at/works/da_braccio.html
Generative music mobile, accompanying an art projection by Jürgen Messensee, shown at the Essl Museum (Klosterneuburg/Vienna) in 2006.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/7x7x7.html
In his so-called art projection "Portrait E.", the painter Jürgen Messensee conducts an unusual experiment: a photo of a painting is deprived of its resting static state. Its parts slowly begin to shift, turning and interlocking and forming a three-dimensional spatial structure that moves in time. Through this process the iconic object becomes liquid, gaining two further dimensions with the inclusion of spatial depth and the flow of time.
This approach is closely connected with my own compositional thinking, since I often start with static sound material (so-called "samples") in my computer-generated realtime compositions but transfer them into fluid processes through specially developed compositional algorithms. Panta Rhei - a sound environment for Jürgen Messensee's installation "Piscina di Venere" - testifies to this.
It is the opposite path that I take in (7x7)7. Where Messensee gradually dissolves an existing whole, transferring it into a spatial lapse of time, my sound environment consists of 49 pre-composed musical motifs (taken from 7x7 for 4 clarinets), which were played beforehand by a bass clarinet and recorded digitally. With the help of a random-controlled algorithm, these digitally stored basic elements are recomposed in respectively new combinations, from which composite sound figures emerge, which all recur - despite their differences - on the same harmonic source material: an eight-part all-interval series that is composed of constantly decreasing intervals and is thus reminiscent of the structure of an overtone series, but without being bound to tonality.
Excerpt from a generative sound installation for a Hermann Nitsch exhibition at the Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg (Austria) in 2003.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/mysteredorgue.html
As musical accompaniment for the major Hermann Nitsch retrospective at the Essl Museum, Karlheinz Essl has created a expansive sound installation which has its centre in the Rotunda and, from there, floods the large hall and the galleries with sound. For Nitsch, music has always been an integral element of his Orgien Mysterien Theater, which found its climax in the 6-Day-Play in August 1998. For this meticulously choreographed "Gesamtkunstwerk" the artist composed an original music score which has recently been released on 51 CDs.
Sound samples from this recording have been used as basic material for the sound installation Le mystère d'orgue. A specifically developed computer program splits these samples into atoms of sound and re-combines them into ever-new sound shapes in real-time. The resulting sound stream wafts through the exhibition halls like an organ sound, surging and receding, thus creating an aura reminiscent of the original orgiastic-mystic environment for Hermann Nitsch’s performance relicts.
Granular de/re/construction of a well-known Christmas carol, performed live on 20 Dec 2016 with a computer program written in Max.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/stallnichte.html
Live recording, performed by Juna Winston (trombone) and Coleman Goepfert (electric guitar) at Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten in Graz, Austria on 6 Dec 2016.
This composition is a drama in sound, performed by two protagonists – a trombone and an electric guitar – that do not have much in common: a breath-driven brass instrument and an electrified plucked string instrument are probably the most diverse instruments on can think of. Nevertheless, both actors try to develop various strategies to approach each other in an attempt to fuse their specific sound worlds (GLUE), followed by situations where they try to break free, showing their idiosyncratic and individual abilities (EXIT).
In this piece, the amplification system of the electric guitar is modified so that its sound characteristics come closer to that of the trombone. Instead of a common guitar amplifier, a device called Talkbox is used: a small stomp-box like device with a built-in amplifier and a small loudspeaker which sends the sound waves through a flexible plastic tube. The end of this hose is attached to a trombone bell that is mounted on a microphone stand.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/exit-glue.html
Performed by Andrii Pavlov (violin) and Karlheinz Essl (electronics). Recorded live at Plivka, Kiev on Nov 19th, 2016 during Karlheinz Essl’s portrait concert at the festival EM-VISIA.
http://www.essl.at/concerts/2016.html#kiev
Free improvisation performed on October 30th, 2016 at the Viiki Church in Helsinki. Feat. Martin Mallaun (zither), Maria Puusaari (violin), Ming Wang (guzheng), Eija Kankaanranta (kantele), Mikko Raasakka (liru) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics).
Recorded by Ming Wang (guzheng) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at Studio kHz on 29 Sep 2016.
Re-synthesis of Johann Sebastian Bach's Suite for Violoncello in G major, BWV 1007 using Markov chains. Recorded by Ivan Turkalj at Elak Vienna on 7 Oct 2013.
Gemeinsam mit Gerhard Eckel entwickelte ich 1986 das Computerprogramm AFFE, das die Zeichenfolge eines Textes als Matrix von Übergangswahrscheinlichkeiten (nach Andrej Markov) analysiert. Aufgrund dieser statistischen Beschreibung können neue Varianten des Ausgangsmaterials gewonnen werden, die je nach Wahl der Zeichentiefe mehr oder weniger stark vom Original abweichen.
Zunächst experimentierten wir mit literarischen Texten und generierten groteske, surrealistisch anmutende Gedichte. Dann kam mir die Idee, dieses Verfahren an Kompositionen zu erproben. Wie nahmen uns Johann Sebastian Bachs Suite für Violoncello in G-Dur (BWV 1007) vor, eine im Wesentlichen einstimmige Melodie in zumeist durchgehender Sechzehntelbewegung, die zunächst als Zeichenfolge codiert werden musste, bevor der Algorithmus damit gefüttert wurde. Das Resultat der Resynthese - rückübersetzt in musikalische Notation - war in der Tat verblüffend: ein fortwährendes Hin- und Herspringen zwischen den einzelnen Sätzen der Suite, ohne Rücksicht auf motivisch-thematische und metrische Sinneinheiten. Dass dabei aber die harmonischen Zusammenhänge gewahrt blieben, verlieh dem Stück ein beunruhigendes Moment von scheinhafter Logizität. So verwandelte sich Bachs Cellosuite in ein gefährliches Labyrinth abgründiger Zusammenhänge, das die Erwartung des Hörers permanent in die Irre führt und ihn ständig zu einer Neubewertung des Gehörten herausfordert.
In this piece, the resonance board of a grand piano is used as a loudspeaker for an electric violin; an instrument which cannot be heard without amplification. By placing a special vibration speaker ("transducer") onto the sound board of the grand piano, the playing of the electric violin is projected inside the piano. Its "sympathetic strings" are used for unusual sonic effects by taking advantage of various resonance phenomenons which the pianist controls by slowly depressing and releasing the sustain and sostenuto pedals. By utilizing a so-called E-Bow on the piano, artificial resonances on a specific pitch can be generated.
Here, the piano becomes a sort of acoustic sound processor for the electric violin. A highly interesting hybrid between violin and piano is constructed which bridges the gap between these very different instruments with their great tradition in music history. Both instruments are "morphed" into a single one for two players, capable of unfolding an enormous expressive power.
STERN is dedicated to my dear friend Ernst Kovacic for whom I already wrote my challenging violin solo composition absence in 1996. His great musicianship and his open mind inspired me to write this piece which finally led me to new horizons which I want to explore in the future.
http://www.essl.at/works/stern.html
"Alle Macht den Nanas" proklamierte Niki de Saint Phalle. Zahlreiche Nanas bevölkern heutzutage Ausstellungen und Skulpturenparks auf der ganzen Welt. Eine feuerrote NANA erscheint auf unserer Bühne gleitend, fliegend und tanzend, sich ständig verändernd. (Ulrich Chmel)
Die Transformation eines Fallenbildes von Daniel Spoerri erinnert uns daran, daß dieses Objekt auch vor und nach seiner Fixierung in anderen Anordnungen existiert. Wir erleben aber auch eine sehr wirkungsvolle Änderung der Sichtweise. Ein Fallenbild von Daniel Spoerri zeigt einen von der Tischgesellschaft verlassenen Eßtisch, welcher in einer Zeitfalle für die Nachwelt konserviert wurde. Daraus wird eine symbolhafte 1. Episode gestaltet, die zeigen soll, dass alles seinen Anfang und sein Ende hat.
Der Zuseher entdeckt eine durch den Raum schwebende Anordnung von Tellern, Gläsern, einer Karaffe und Bestecken. Während des Vorübergleitens ist der Betrachter damit beschäftigt, die einzelnen Teile dieser Gruppe wahrzunehmen. Aus dem Ort des Verschwindens dieser Gruppe kommt nun das bekannte Fallenbild und wird dem Publikum präsentiert. Danach beginnt eine Verwandlung. Aus der Vogelschau entsteht eine horizontale und sehr räumliche Ansicht dieses Fallenbildes, die für den Zuschauer bislang unbekannt war. Doch auch dieses Stadium verändert sich nochmals in die bekannte Perspektive, die aber letztlich entschwindet und zu guter Letzt einen Scherbenhaufen zurückläßt. Die Zerbrechlichkeit alles Irdischen wird auf diese Weise verdeutlicht, bis auch dieser Scherbenhaufen im Schwarz der Bühne verschwindet. (Ulrich Chmel)
Bildzitate aus dem berühmten "Mann mit dem Hut" von René Magritte erinnern uns zunächst an dieses Kunstwerk. Seine Einzelteile werden zum Ganzen zusammen geführt, jedoch aber sehr bald wieder dekonstruiert. Dennoch bleibt die wesentliche Aussage des Bildes zunächst erhalten, um sich letzten Endes dann doch wieder aufzulösen. (Ulrich Chmel)
Das Stück beginnt mit Kurzzitaten der nachfolgenden Episoden. Eine Figur, die aus dem Triardischen Ballett von Oskar Schlemmer stammen könnte, paradiert über die Vorbühne und bringt Figuren und Formen der Episoden zum Vorschein, wie sie in den folgenden etwa 40 Minuten auf der Bühne imaginiert werden. Über diesem Geschehen „erglüht“ schließlich der Titel imagination. Nach dem verlöschen der Schrift entschwinden auch die Ankündigungsfiguren. Der Zuseher erkennt am Bühnenhintergrund eine Uhr, die während des Stückes unablässig an die Vergänglichkeit erinnert und zugleich als einzig berechenbare Konstante unter diesen sich andauernd verändernden Bildern erscheint. (Ulrich Chmel)
Aus dem Dunkel der Bühne erscheinen die Umrisse eines eleganten großen Damenhutes. Die Dame fügt sich erst später in das Bild, in welchem wir The Black Hat von Alex Katz zu erkennen glauben. Doch die Farben sind dem Prozess der Veränderung unterworfen. Letztlich entweicht auch der Kopf der eleganten Dame um abschließend, der Schwerkraft trotzend, kopfüber zu entfliehen.(Ulrich Chmel)
Piet Mondrians Komposition mit Rot hat unsere Alltagswelt sehr populär auf Gebrauchsund Einrichtungsgegenständen erreicht. In imagination erleben wir nicht nur die Konstruktion dieser Komposition. Mit einer plötzlichen Intervention wird das streng formale Bild aufgelöst und zum Verschwinden gebracht. (Ulrich Chmel)
https://www.essl.at/works/imagination.html
Das gesamte Geschehen über werden wir von einem sich ständig bewegenden Zeiger einer Uhr begleitet. Symbol der Beständigkeit in diesen sich andauernd verändernden Bilder und andererseits aber auch stets vorantreibender Motor der Veränderungen. (Ulrich Chmel)
Helmut Magreiters philosophische Bilder führen oftmals zur Erkenntnis, dass sich alles zum Nichts hin bewegt. Mit dem Werk “Bildriss“ wird Kommen und Vergehen, bis zur blitzartigen Auflösung in der Farbe Weiß imaginiert. (Ulrich Chmel)
Auszug aus der generativen Klang-und Textinstallation "es wird" auf einen Text des Architekten Heinz Tesar. Im Rahmen des Festivals WIEN MODERN 2000 wurde diese Arbeit im neu eröffneten Essl Museum präsentiert.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/es_wird.html
Binaural production - listen with headphones! Live recording of the premiere performed in Brisbane (AUS) on July 29th, 2016.
This piece was composed during my artistic residency at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Australia in summer 2016. Ever morning, I woke up by the birds singing frenetically in front of my window. Sounds that I never had heard before although we know the same species (namely the magpie) also in Austria; but here they are sounding quite different.
Exploring Brisbane and its surrounding with a bike brought me in closer contact to the botanic environment of the city, namely around the Brisbane river to which I was listening through so-called hydrophones. All these sounds and the pulsating flow of energy that I sensed everywhere inspired me to compose this piece which can be regarded as a personal garland to this wonderful city.
Brisky Breath was performed on my realtime composition environment m@ze°2, an interactive software written in Max that allows the spontaneous creation and transformation of sound in space.
Karlheinz Essl's legendary realtime composition, performed by the composer himself at the NIME 2106 Conference in Brisbane, Australia on a Yamaha Disklavier.
Lexikon-Sonate is an interactive realtime composition environment for musical composition and live performances. It takes advantage of composition algorithms that has been developed by Karlheinz Essl since 1985. With this algorithmic music generator on can easily create fascinating and complex musical structures on the fly. Furthermore, Lexikon-Sonate is an infinite music installation that can run on a computer for years without repeating itself. Finally, Lexikon-Sonate can be used as an instrument for live performance of electronic music.
Download the software: http://www.essl.at/software.html
Free improvisation about Nietzsche and Wagner by OUT OF THE BLUE with Agnes Heginger (vocals) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics). Recorded live at the Essl Museum (Klosterneuburg/Vienna) on April 27th, 2016.
Das Offene und Unerwartete ist Ausgangspunkt dieser Performance, die von Friedrich Nietzsche und seinem ambivalenten Verhältnis zu Richard Wagner inspiriert ist. Eine Auswahl seiner Texte, Gedanken und Gedichte dient als Material und Katalysator eines Prozesses, der sich momentan auf der Bühne ereignet und keinem vorgegebenen Plan folgt.
Parsifal-Kristall transforms the salvation choir from Wagner’s sacred festival drama by utilizing a new technique for his “art of transition”. The music of the finale, which dissolves all the dramatic tensions and conciliates all the contrasts of Wagner’s music drama, now runs backwards, beginning with the last crescendo and leading into clusters of interleaving layers of the musical material, as if Wagner’s promise of blessedness should again be questioned.
Essl stretches the reversed sound segments of Wagner's original once, twice, four times and eight times. Like loops, these musical layers are interwoven into a texture. The composer controls the algorithmic mixture of the material creating individual combinations. In spite of his complex deconstruction, Essl saves the aura of Wagner’s homophonic music. In a process of condensation and equalization, the blurred transitions develop a musical dramaturgy of their own. This soundscape recalls Mahler’s polyphony, which let music of different origins sound together, and it also recalls György Ligeti’s technique of structural blurring in pieces like Lux aeterna.
In Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, the Holy Grail is a stone that had fallen from heaven. Essl imagines it as a crystal, and its kaleidoscopic light refractions open ever-changing views on new horizons. Beyond the urge of a formal order of succession, every instant becomes a moment of fulfillment. (Susanne Vill)
Sound scape "middle ages" from Karlheinz Essl's sound/video/performance OMNIA IN OMNIBUS (2015)
Granular synthesis processing of Mönch von Salzburg's "Das Kühhorn" (14th century). Excerpt from Karlheinz Essl's sound/video/performance OMNIA IN OMNIBUS (2015).
Granular synthesis processing of Heinrich Isaac's "Innsbrucklied" (15th century). Excerpt from Karlheinz Essl's sound/video/performance OMNIA IN OMNIBUS (2015).
Sound scape "present time" from Karlheinz Essl's sound/video/performance OMNIA IN OMNIBUS (2015)
Amazing Maze is a computer program written by Karlheinz Essl in 1993 ff. It automatically generates music by manipulating sampled instrumental sounds according to certain compositional strategies that are carried out in different structure generators. Each generator synthesizes its own characteristic sonic world.
The compositional algorithms have been programmed in MaxMSP by taking advantage of my Real Time Composition Library (RTC-lib). This collection of software modules offers the possibility to experiment with a number of compositional techniques, such as serial procedures, permutations and controlled randomness.
Free download of the software (Mac/PC)from http://www.essl.at
Performed and recorded by Karlheinz Essl on 14 Jan 2009 at Studio kHz.
Having played the electric guitar as a rock-obsessed teenager, I re-discovered it 25 years later. In the meantime, I have studied composition and musicology and became heavily involved with electronic and computer music. Working as a composer writing complex musical scores I felt more and more the desire to re-connect to those ecstatic times when I was performing on stage with my electric guitar. But first I developed my own idiosyncratic electronic instrument called m@ze°2 (1998 ff.) which I am still using for free improvisation and live performances.
In 2007, I was ready for another change when the handling with MIDI controllers, graphic tablets, keyboards, computer mouses and pedals became more and more insufficient. I was seeking for an instantaneous, tactile input device to be included into my live-electronic setup. First I was thinking of a custom-made wooden resonance box equipped with strings, contact microphones and pickups that could be plucked, bowed, beaten and scratched. As such a device had to be constructed first (and I am not really good at tinkering) I suddenly realized that a common electric guitar already fulfilled most of my requirements. So I bought myself a Steinberger electric guitar — the most compressed instrument of its kind — and started to study the almost forgotten playing techniques again.
Fortunately, as the body obviously has a strong memory, I got back very quickly to the status of playing that I had 25 years ago. However, meanwhile my musical mind has completely changed: Not being primarily interested in re-adapting those powerful rock clichés, I tried to develop a fresh view onto the electric guitar. First of all I decided not to use a plectrum at all and to develop a personal finger-picking technique which incorporates several elements that I used when playing the double bass. Then I discovered the possibilities of an E-Bow, which serves as a wonderful substitution for the standard bow. Later I became familiar with tapping technique and the use of a volume pedal in order to shape the envelope of the sound.
With these achievements, I wrote a piece for electric guitar and live-electronics in the beginning 2008 as part of my Sequitur project. This cycle advertently relates to the famous "Sequenze" of Luciano Berio as an attempt to write a series of pieces which take advantage of the idiosyncratic instrumental possibilities - and confront them with a realtime sound processing environment that has its own secret life.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-8.html
Ausschnitt aus dem 2014 entstandenen KUNSTRADIO-Hörstück "Herbeck extended" - eine Hommage an den Lyriker Ernst Herbeck. Als Ausgangsmaterial diente eine Tonbandaufnahme mit der Stimme des schizophrenen Dichters, der aufgrund einer Gaumenspalte sich sprachlich kaum artikulieren konnte.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/herbeck-extended.html
This is a 5 hour recording of Karlheinz Essl's sound installation WebernUhrWerk. Every 15 minutes, a short Carillon phrase based on the twelve-tone row of Anton Webern is played. Be aware that most of the time this piece is silent!
The original composition, however, is based on a generative computer program which you can download from here:
http://www.essl.at/works/webernuhrwerk/download.html
It was created for commemorating the 70th anniversary of Webern's death on 15 September 2015 in a global event called "World-Wide Webern". In order to join in, you can use this recording. Start it exactly at the beginning of a full hour and let it run for 5 hours. When finished, you can repeat the piece as long as you like.
A computer program that automatically composes dodecaphonic Carillon music based on the twelve-tone row of Anton Webern's last composition - commemorating his sudden and unexpected death on 15 Sep 1945 as he was accidentially shot dead by an American GI. The program simulates a Carillon which plays a short musical phrase every 15 minutes which never repeats itself.
More information and download link: http://www.essl.at/works/webernuhrwerk/download.html
Final part of Karlheinz Essl’s sound/video performance Omnia in omnibus, created for the 650th anniversary of the University of Vienna.
Recorded live at Studio kHz on June 13th, 2015.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/OIO.html
Performed by Goska Isphording (harpsichord) and Anne Veinberg (toy pianos) during the Prix Annelie de Man on May 28th, 2015 at Het Orgelpark in Amsterdam (NL).
In this piece, two toy pianos are combined with a two-manual harpsichord - an instrument with a long history and an impressive repertory, as opposed to the toy piano. Although both keyboards are so different in every respect, they are forming a unit where the differences are reconciled and their individual "weakness" is counter-balanced by the other instrument. With "united forces" (so the translation of the latin title), they are creating a new entity which results in a new sound, something that has never been heard before.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/viribus-unitis.html
Letzter Teil aus Karlheinz Essl KUNSTRADIO-Stück "Herbeck extended" über den Dichter Ernst Herbeck (1920-1991), der die meiste Zeit seines Lebens im psychiatrischen Krankenhaus Maria Gugging verbrachte.
Im Nachlass Ernst Herbeck wurde von der Literaturwissenschaftlerin Gisela Steinlechner einen Fragebogen gefunden, den der Psychiater Leo Navratil aufgesetzt hatte. Die Fragen waren mit Schreibmaschine getippt; darunter hat Herbeck seine Antworten hingekritzelt. - Dieses Frage-und-Antwort Spiel zwischen der Stimmen von Sandra Kreisler und einer Computerstimme namens Leopold ereignet sich vor dem Hintergrund einer sich äußerst langsam bewegenden hochexpressiven Orchestermusik, in der Mozart anklingt, der erklärte Lieblingskomponist Ernst Herbecks.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/herbeck-extended.html
Erster Teil aus Karlheinz Essl KUNSTRADIO-Stück "Herbeck extended" über den Dichter Ernst Herbeck (1920-1991), der die meiste Zeit seines Lebens im psychiatrischen Krankenhaus Maria Gugging verbrachte.
Was zunächst wie ein herkömmliches Literaturfeature beginnt entwickelt sich aber schon bald zu einem bedrohlichen Szenario, in dem die Stimmen, die Ernst Herbeck Zeit seines Lebens verfolgt haben, die Oberhand gewinnen.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/herbeck-extended.html
Dritter Teil aus Karlheinz Essl KUNSTRADIO-Stück "Herbeck extended" über den Dichter Ernst Herbeck (1920-1991), der die meiste Zeit seines Lebens im psychiatrischen Krankenhaus Maria Gugging verbrachte.
Ein Kommentar über Karlheinz Essls persönlichen Zugang zu Ernst Herbeck, gelesen von Andreas Wolf. Im Hintergrund wird allmählich Herbecks Gedicht "Das Leben" erahnbar, das im Zentrum des nächsten Abschnitts steht.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/herbeck-extended.html
Tristan’s Lament seems to allude Tristan’s complaint in the third act, when he is sick to death awaiting his beloved and “best doctor”, Isolde. However, Essl has chosen a sequence from the prelude, and by a program written in MaxMSP he moves through the sound in slow motion, back and forth, quicker and slower, until the time flow stops. In every performance, the live improvised reconstruction creates new variations – endless configurations of an endless melody.
In Wagner’s prelude, the “awful yearning” implies the longing for love in every person of the play, and it is musicalized in chromatic shifts and the famous Tristan chord, that has broken the traditional tension patterns of tonality. Sighs and suspensions claim for solutions, which Essl denies, again and again turning back, as if the loops of increasing tension could prolong the bittersweet pain of expecting love in missing it. A sudden “forte” dies away, there is no increasing progression towards a climax, no breakthrough into bliss – not even the bliss of death –, just a startling outbreak, isolated like Tristan’s screams in his dismal solitude. In unexpected breaks the music is torn to tatters – like Tristan tatters his bandage to open his wound for Isolde’s healing – but the abrupt pieces remain splintered and deny any hope for an embedding, comforting continuity. Every fade away of the rough sounds turns into deprivation, a small death beyond love. Layers of adapted sequences form dissonant cluster areas, which fade into courses of rootless slides like sirens of futility. (Susanne Vill)
For WalkürenWalk, an electronic sound performance for computer and controllers, Essl has chosen a fragment of 30 seconds from Wagner’s “Ride of the Walkyries”, segmented into tiny sound grains which are overlapped and re-combined during the course of a live-performance. These “nano”-particles reveal certain substructures of the music like a view through a microscope. In his adaptation, the music dismisses has lost the monumentality and powerful image of Wagner’s Walkyries, the messengers of death, who retrieved the dead heroes from the battlefields and brought them to Walhall, where they were revitalized for the ultimate battle - the Twilight of the Gods.
In the crackling impulse sequences, certain aspects of Wagner’s sound spectrum become evident, although in an alienated manner. But the rhythms skeletonize the energetic momentum and the magnificence of the heroines of death as if the music would rather depict Gustav Mahler’s ghost army in Revelge. It draws the listener’s attention away from the triumphant war goddesses towards the miserable victims, who’s lives they take.
For every performance the musical material is recomposed in realtime, thus creating new syntheses – like in every war others die, soldiers and heroes, without any pomp. (Susanne Vill)
Karlheinz Essl's first piece for toy piano, composed 2005 for Isabel Ettenauer, became a signature piece for this instrument.
The primary aim of this piece is an attempt to break up the restricted sound world of the toy piano - not by superficial means of additional sound processing, but by the sound of the instrument itself. This is achieved by a sound file which is played back by a small loudspeaker which is hidden inside the toy piano; this creates a perfect blend between the sounds of the instrument and the sounds from the loudspeaker.
Info and score: http://www.essl.at/works/kalimba.html
Composed 2005 for the 60th anniversary of Anton Webern's death, performed by Isabel Ettenauer and Karlheinz Essl.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/webernspielwerk.html
Recorded by Isabel Ettenauer for the CD "whatever shall be - music for toy instruments and electronics" (edition eirelav, 2013)
Having written several pieces for the toy piano before, I dedicated Sequitur V to this interesting instrument which — in fact — has not much in common with the piano as we know it. Its sound resembles chimes or maybe parts of a gamelan orchestra and therefore is not connected to the great history of classical piano music from Bach to Stockhausen; a fact that makes this instrument more accessible for me. Although the toy piano is tiny in every respect, the sound that it produces in Sequitur V becomes incredibly rich thanks to amplification and realtime sound processing.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-5.html
Performed by students of Lars Mlekusch and Karlheinz Essl on March 9th, 2013 at the MUK Vienna.
Auf einer USA-Reise im Jahr 2005 war der Colorado River für einige Tage unser Wegbegleiter. Sein unbeirrtes Weiterströmen, seine chamäleonartige Farbigkeit und sein ungeheure Kraft (von dem das Grand Canyon ein berührendes Zeugnis ablegt)erschienen mir als naturgewordene Metapher für eine Komposition, die zu jener Zeit in meinem Kopf herankeimte: ein Werk für Saxophonquartett und Live-Elektronik, dem ich den Namen "colorado" gab.
Bei der Aufführung des Werkes sitzen die vier Musiker des Quartetts in der Mitte des Saales; vier Lautsprechern umgeben das Publikum. Die Instrumente (Sopran-, Alt-, Tenor- und Baritonsaxophon) werden von Mikrophonen abgenommen, in Echtzeit von einem interaktiv gesteuerten Computerprogramm verarbeitet und über die Lautsprecher ins Auditorium abgestrahlt, das wiederum als Resonanzkörper und Hallraum fungiert.
Die Live-Elektronik basiert auf einer Art „Teilchenbeschleuniger“, der die live eingespielten Klangpartikel der Saxophonisten durch vielfältige Manipulationen im Zeit- und Spektralbereich komplex miteinander überlagert und über ein quadrophones Klangverteilungssystem im Raum verwirbelt. Die Parameter dieses „Teilchenbeschleunigers“ werden von einem fünften Musiker - im Idealfall dem Komponisten selbst - während der Aufführung kontrolliert. (Karlheinz Essl)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/colorado.html
Agnes Heginger's (voice) and Karlheinz Essl's (live-electronics) spontaneous interpretation of a poem by Hermann Niklas. Performed live at the Essl Museum Klosterneuburg (5 Dec 2012).
Info: http://www.essl.at/div/outoftheblue.html
Sound environment of Xenia Hausner’s room installation „ÜberLeben”, shown at the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg (A) in 2012.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/suspended-suspense.html
Eigens für die Installation von Xenia Hauser in der Rotunde des Essl Museums hat der Komponist Karlheinz Essl sein Sound-Environment „Suspended Suspense” geschaffen, das mit minimalsten Mitteln eine Atmosphäre unerträglicher Spannung zu erzielen sucht. Ein schneidend hoher Ton und ein tiefes Rauschen schwellen unvorhersehbar an und ab und erzeugen dabei eine hypnotische Stimmung.
Performed by Karlheinz Siessl (euphonium) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at festival Klangspuren (2012).
Some years ago I received an e-mail by a tuba player named Karlheinz Siessl who found it funny that our names are so similar: they only differ in the syllable "si". He suggested a collaboration and asked me to write a piece for his instrument. Shortly thereafter I invited him into my studio where we improvised together in order to become acquainted with each other. The result was so enjoyable and promising that I agreed to compose a piece for him.
Pondering over the piece, I suddenly found its title – Si! – which means "yes" in Italian and Spanish. By coincidence, this is also the solmization syllable for the note B, the fundamental tone of the tenor tuba I was using. Observing the syllable "si" from various perspectives I decided to emphasize the positive message of this word. A piece of literature came into my mind where the word "yes" is used in a highly musical way: the very end of James Joyce's novel Ulysses where Molly Bloom babbles her famous solíloquy in a daydream:
and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes
I asked a former student of mine to record these lines in Italian; they secretly serve as an underlying Ariadne's thread throughout the piece. By filtering the sound of the tuba with the spectrum of the female voice (employing a technique called convolution), this instrument is now able to speak in tongues. In order to obtain the desired results it was necessary to transform the sound of the bassy tuba into a range that has more common overtones with the voice. As it was nearly impossible to achieve this with normally blown tuba sounds, I had to invent new playing techniques. So I ended up „mis-using“ the tuba as an exceptional percussion instrument which is caressed and beaten. Furthermore, I also utilise it as a brass tube to breathe and whisper into it, taking advantage of its rich resonances.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/si.html
Agnes Heginger (voice) and Karlheinz Essl improvising on a poem by Walt Whitman. Performed live at the festival LOISIARTE on March 25th, 2013 in Langenlois, Austria.
Info: http://www.essl.at/div/outoftheblue.html
Performed by Christian Altenburger (violin) and Reinhard Latzko (cello)at festival LOISIARTE, Langenlois (23 Mar 2012).
Geige und Cello, als Mitglieder einer Instrumentenfamilie eng verwandt und doch stark voneinander unterschieden, erleben während eines viertelstündigen Dialogs die fortwährende Verwandlung ihrer Identität. Die anfänglich extreme Gegensätzlichkeit zweier individueller Musiksprachen wird zum Ferment eines Ringens um Annäherung. Anstatt sich aber auf halben Wege im Kompromiß zu treffen, versuchen beide Instrumente, Momente des Anderen, Fremden zu übernehmen und ihrer Identität einzuverleiben. Ein Unterfangen, das paradoxerweise oftmals zu weiterer Entfremdung führt. Die Utopie einer völligen Übereinstimmung könnte am Schluß des Stückes erreicht sein, wenn beide Instrumente sich schließlich im Einklang begegnen; ein groß angelegtes Decrescendo aber läßt diese Vereinigung im Bereich des Unhörbaren stattfinden (Karlheinz Essl, 1992).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/rapprochement.html
juncTions was inspired by the Toronto-based keyboard collective junctQín. In 2009, junctQín asked me to write a piece for three pianists performing on one piano. Their request triggered several interesting questions for me: What can be achieved on a piano if one person plays the instrument in a traditional way (pressing the keys and pedals) while a second one is playing the inside (with an e-bow and a tone bar, tools more commonly used by guitar players) and a third musician is operating a computer program that creates an immersive maelstrom of sounds by processing the sonorities of the two piano players?
The inside and outside sound worlds of the piano confront and connect with each other. For example, connections are intentionally achieved when one player creates a glissando by sliding a piece of metal along the very strings which are excited, hit by the hammers the second player has activated.
At first glance the score may look pretty sparse. However, those delicate sound processes that are created by the two players at the piano are fed into a computer program which densely superimposes them and projects them into the space. In this piece, the piano is used as a versatile sound device with a flexible resonator. All the harmonic relationships of the notes are based on four odd-numbered overtone series (starting with the low A key) which are collapsing into the middle B of the piano. This tone acts like a secret harmonic thread, often emphasized by an E-Bow which can infinitely sustain sound, contradicting the expected decay of a piano note.
In juncTions, a type of hyper-instrument is created from a common piano, freed from its inherent historical connotations; no longer referencing the piano music between Mozart and Stockhausen ... The only thing that matters now is the expansion of its sound into the space.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/junctions.html
Karlheinz Essls „blurred“ ist eine sehr geschickt komponierte, zum Teil zart und zerbrechlich wirkende 15-minütige Komposition, die sicher zum Besten gehört, was ich an Musik aus dem 21. Jahrhundert bislang gehört habe. Es ist teilweise wahrhaft atemberaubend, wie der Komponist aus nur drei Instrumenten (Flöte, Vibraphon und Violoncello) sowie Live-Elektronik (die der Komponist bei der Aufnahme selbst bediente) ein vermeintlich „großes“ Ensemble erstehen lässt und wie sich daraus ein Gespinst aus Klängen formt. (Rainer Aschemaier, CD Review 2012)
Live recording, performed by exxj (dir. Peter Burwik) and Karlheinz Essl, produced by Karlheinz Essl.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/blurred.html
Jeremy Woodruff interviews Karlheinz Essl about his recent interdisciplinary sound works in collaboration with other artists including his sound installation on the grounds of the Humboldt University science campus in Berlin-Adlershof with Stefan Krüskemper.
Produced for the Berlin-based web radio "Lautstrom" in 2011. http://www.essl.at/bibliogr/essl-woodruff.html
Free improvised interpretation of Agnes Heginger's poem "Auf Reisen" by the improvisation duo OUT OF THE BLUE with Agnes Heginger (voice) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics). Performed live at Klangturm St. Pölten on 1 Oct 2011.
http://www.essl.at/div/outoftheblue.html
Performed by Amy Horvey (trumpet) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics)at the Concordia University, Montreal on 23 Sep 2011.
Sequitur is a series of 14 compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics written for outstanding soloists. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Luciano Berio's famous Sequenze cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. Essl's Sequitur cycle includes pieces for orchestral instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice, electric guitar, toy piano or kalimba.
All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred.
The Sequitur software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-6.html
Free improvisation based on Ingeborg Bachmann's poem "Silben im Oleander", performed live at Atelier Johann Feilacher (26 Jun 2011).
Free improvisation on the lyrics of Falco's "Einzelhaft" by Agnes Heginger (vocals) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics, performed live at Walzengravieranstalt Guntramsdorf on May 20th, 2011.
http://www.essl.at/div/outoftheblue.html
A generative sound environment for the art installation DOUBLE COATED IP CAPSULE by Guido Kucsko, presented at the Kunstforum Bank Austria (Vienna) in January 2011. Noises from our surrounding environment, bodies and machines are algorithmically morphed with the chant of a female, extracted from Karlheinz Essl's composition Sequitur IX for mezzo soprano and live-electronics.
http://www.essl.at/works/proper-ties.html
Aufgenommen am 27. November 2010 im ZKM_Kubus in Karlsruhe (D) mit Mike Svoboda (Posaune) und Karlheinz Essl (Live-Elektronik).
Seit 2008 arbeitet Karlheinz Essl an dem 14-teiligen Zyklus „Sequitur“ für unterschiedlichste Soloinstrumente und Live-Elektronik, der an die berühmten „Sequenze“ von Luciano Berio anknüpft. Hatte dieser einst prototypische Solostücke geschaffen, in denen die jeweiligen Instrumente mit all ihren klanglichen Finessen virtuos in Szene gesetzt werden, so geht es Essl um die Erweiterung dieses Ansatzes unter Einbeziehung der Live-Elektronik: Ein penibel auskomponierter und live gespielter Solopart wird via Mikrophon in ein eigens dafür geschaffenes Computerprogramm eingespeist, das daraus in Echtzeit einen elektronisches Klang-Environment generiert. Diese „Begleitung“ wird ausschließlich vom Input des Soloinstruments bestimmt, das mit sich selbst in vielfache Beziehung tritt. Wie in einem Spiegelkabinett lösen sich die ursprünglichen Identitäten auf und erzeugen ein komplexes Beziehungsgefüge, das einen tranceartigen Sog ausübt.
Sequitur X wurde für den Posaunisten Mike Svoboda geschrieben und ist ihm gewidmet.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-10.html
Recorded live with Barbara Lüneburg (electric violon and live-electronics) on 30 Oct 2010 in Vienna.
Sequitur is a series of 14 compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics written for outstanding soloists. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Luciano Berio's famous Sequenze cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. Essl's Sequitur cycle includes pieces for orchestral instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice, electric guitar, toy piano or kalimba.
All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-3.html
Performed by Hugo Wolf Quartet at the Hofburg Chapel Vienna on 20 Oct 2010.
In seiner Erzählung “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” berichtet der argentinische Schriftsteller Jorge Luis Borges von einer fiktiven Kultur, deren Sprache keinerlei Hauptwörter kennt:
“Es gibt kein Wort, das dem Wort 'Mond' entspricht, aber es gibt ein Verbum, das im Lateinischen 'lunare' oder bei uns 'monden' lauten würde. Der Mond ging über dem Fluß auf lautet: blör u fang axaxcas mlö oder in genauer Wortfolge: 'Empor hinter dauer-fließen mondet'es (Xul Solar übersetzt in knapper Form: upa tras perfluyue lunó. Upward, behind the onstreaming it mooned).”
Einfachste Aussagen lassen sich in dieser Sprache nur durch komplizierte grammatikalische Konstruktionen ausdrücken, die jedoch voller Poesie und Zauber sind, wie im oben zitierten Beispiel, dem mein Quartett seinen Titel verdankt.
Das Streichquartett gilt seit jeher als Königsdisziplin der Komposition und Ort musikalischer Experimente: Vier gleichberechtigte Individuen – verkörpert durch vier Streichinstrumente – treten in einen musikalischen Diskurs, so, als würden hier “vier vernünftige Leute sich miteinander unterhalten”, wie Goethe einst anmerkte.
Was passiert aber, wenn diese (Klang)Sprache nicht mehr bedingungslos funktioniert, weil sie eines ihrer wesentlichsten Elemente – der Hauptworte – beraubt wurde? Diese paradoxe Frage faszinierte mich ungemein, als ich vor 10 Jahren begann, mein drittes Streichquartett zu komponieren. Ich verzichtete in diesem Stück auf melodischen Formulierungen, die – als Inbegriff des Thematischen – einst als die Substantive einer musikalischen Sprache fungierten.
Diese bewußt gewählte Einschränkung (die ich von dem französischen Dichter Georges Perec gelernt habe, der einen ganzen Roman ohne den Buchstaben ‘e’ geschrieben hat) empfand ich weniger als Zwang, sondern als Befreiung von gewissen musiksprachlichen Klischees, die der Gattung des Streichquartetts immer noch anhaften. In meiner kompositorischen Arbeit konzentrierte ich mich auf wenige Grundelemente: langgezogene Liegetöne, innerlich bewegte Texturen, Pulsationen und expressive Klangeruptionen. Wie ein Alchemist in seiner Hexenküche ließ ich daraus eine Vielzahl musikalischer Gestalten wuchern, die ich kunstvoll miteinander vernetzte, um damit ein Maximum an Expressivität und klangsinnlicher Intensität zu erzielen.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/upward.html
Performed by Goska Isphording (harpsichord) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at NatLab Eindhoven (NL) on 10 Sep 2010.
In this composition, the harpsichord is played in a highly unconventional manner. Except for the end of the piece, no keys are touched. Instead, the sound board and the lowest string of the instrument are excited in different manners. A contact microphone mounted on the sound board acts like an acoustic lense that amplifies sounds that are normally inaudible. The interaction between the harpsichordist and the live-electronics creates a kind of meta-instrument. Its novel sounds and expressions purposely avoid the typical percussive sound of the harpsichord, which is only heard at the end of the piece as a quotation.
By preparing the instrument with a thin nylon thread, sustained "drone" sounds can be produced as an antitheses to the needle-sharp and rapidly decaying harpsichord attacks.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-12.html
Recorded live on 9 June 2010 at the Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg by Tzenka Dianova (piano) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics).
Karlheinz Essl's “Sequitur XIII” (2009/2013) for extended piano and live electronics is an innovative work in which the piano has been transformed into a super instrument thanks to a computer-based algorithmic system. Turning the relatively simple instrumental material into an orchestral entity through various real-time harmonic and spectral alterations, the piece multiplies the functions of the original instruments by recording the musicians' performance and playing it together with its modified version (Maria Kallionpää, 2014)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-13.html
Performed by Stephan Froleyks (percussion) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at Stadtheater Münster during the KlangZeit Festival.
el-emen' für Solo-Schlagzeug und Live-Elektronik entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Percussionisten Günter Meinhart. Vier unterschiedliche Familien von Schlaginstrumenten (Fell, Holz, Metall und Keramik), die den vier Elementen zugeordnet sind, werden über Mikrophone abgenommen und in ein eigens dafür entwickeltes Computerprogramm eingespeist, das die Klangpartikel wie ein akustischer Teilchenbeschleuniger im Raum verwirbelt.
Der sich dabei aufbauende Klangstrudel wird zum Generator sich ständig verwandelnder Klanghybride – so, als würden chemische Elemente zu immer neuen Verbindungen verschmelzen. Damit erfüllt sich im Klanglichen der alte Traum von der Verwandlung der Elemente: die alchymische Hochzeit.
Im kryptischen Werktitel findet sich der Hinweis auf jene elementaren Vorgänge; zugleich aber klingt darin auch die arabische Wortwurzel für Sicherheit, Ruhe, Frieden und Schutz an.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/el-emen.html
The onset reminds of the tuning of an orchestra: the oboe intonates the chamber pitch A, which is then gradually taken on by the strings in different registers. A broad octave sound emerges, reminding one of Mahler. This ideal world does not last for long. The clear sound is disturbed by strident multiphonics and oscillating intonations of the brass, which is finally conferred to the strings: the individual instruments slowly slide away from their tuning to finally end up in a 50-voice cluster. The the 'catastrophe': The strings collapse, a tam-tam joins in noisily and finally covers the whole orchestra, which suddenly breaks off. Now a melody fragment in the oboe emerges - shamefacedly - from the echo.
This one-minute fragment for orchestra came into being on Pentecost Monday 2009, after I had dreamt this piece in the night before.
Sequitur XIV was written for the Hamburg-based pianist and performer Jennifer Hymer and sets the thumb piano in focus. This instrument, named ‘Mbira’ in Africa, was discovered in the middle of the 20th Century from the British ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey, who developed out of it a standardized western instrument named ‘kalimba’, and let it be produced industrially. In contrast to the African original, this western new construction is tuned diatonically.
First I tried to approach the instrument like a child in that I pushed away all knowledge about the high art of Mbira-practice to the side. What did I see before me? A trapezoidal shaped wooden box with metal blades of differing lengths that were fastened over a sound hole in the middle. After I examined the sound possibilities of the kalimba’s body through rubbing, scratching and knocking, I attached a contact microphone to its surface and sent the sounds through the same computer program that I had developed for the other “Sequitur” compositions. Suddenly everything became enchanted: the canonic layering of my knocking and scraping noises compressed themselves into a polyrhythmic layering and I felt myself being transported to the south of Africa where the African musicians play this instrument in ensemble and thereby produce a highly complex polyphony which the Viennese musicologist Gerhard Kubik described as “inherent patterns.”
Only later I dedicated myself to the metal tines and through the help of live electronic manipulation found means and ways to dig out an ongoing diatonic. After many months of free experimenting, I was finally able to write a concisely written score for Jennifer Hymer, which turned my summing-ups of this instrument into a sound journey.
Recorded at the premier at Klang!Container in Hamburg on Sep 13th, 2009
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-14.html
Sound performance for computer & live-electronics, performed live at the 12th GlobArt Academy on Aug 20th, 2009 at Pernegg, Austria.
Ausgangspunkt ist ein Ausschnitt aus einem Interview von Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno, in dem dieser über Anarchie spricht. Erst in feinste Einzelteile zerpflückt, lösen sich aus Rauschen die Worte heraus. „Es ist ein Garten, der gepflanzt ist, der ein Eigenleben hat. Die Aufführung ist ein Spaziergang durch den Garten, das kann auch ein Lauf sein, ein Verweilen, ein Sitzenbleiben“, umreißt Essl den grundsätzlichen Charakter einer Live-Performance. Zusätzlich spielen Spirituelle und Akustisches eine Rolle, die Magie des Augenblicks. Demensprechend muss bis zur jeweiligen Realisierung der Ausgang dieses aus der menschlichen Stimme entwickelten Stückes offen bleiben.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/demo-crazy.html
Recorded by Lars Mlekusch (alto sax) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at Studio kHz (18 Aug 2009).
The Sequitur cycle consists of 14 different compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics. It can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument.
All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred.
The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-7.html Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur.html
Generatives Klangenvironment zu einer Lichtinstallation von Rainer Gottemeier für das Projekt KunstLichtTore in Bochum.
Das bekannte Steigerlied - die heimliche Hymne des Ruhrgebiets - dient Karlheinz Essl als Ausgangsmaterial für sein Klang-Environment zu BOCHUMSTEP. Einer Aufnahme des Chorstücks wird eine eigene Bearbeitung für lochkarten-gesteuerte Spieluhr entgegengesetzt. Diese beiden Klangsphären verweisen auf die zwei unterschiedlichen, aber aufeinander bezogenene Aspekte des Bergbaus: der Mensch (Bergmann) - repräsentiert durch den Gesang - und die Maschine (Werkzeug) - dargestellt durch die Mechanik des Glockenspiels.
Mit einer eigens für dieses Projekt in MaxMSP entwickelten Software werden die beiden klanglichen Gegenwelten von Stimme und Spieluhr miteinander in Verbindung gebracht, in Form eines unendlichen Prozesses, der generativ in Echtzeit erfolgt.
http://www.essl.at/works/bochumstep.html
Recorded by Anton Lukoszevieze (cello) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at the University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK)on 18 Sep 2008.
The Sequitur cycle consists of 14 different compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics. It can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument.
All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred.
The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-4.html
Recorded live on 23 Apr 2008 at the Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg with Georg Riedl (clarinet) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics).
Sequitur is a series of 14 compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics written for outstanding soloists. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Luciano Berio's famous Sequenze cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. Essl's Sequitur cycle includes pieces for orchestral instruments like flute and violin, but also for voice, electric guitar, toy piano or kalimba.
All Sequitur composition use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities becomes blurred.
The Sequitur software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which being controlled by random operations. This yields different results every time the piece is performed. Although following a precisely notated score, there is always a good portion of surprise for the musician which emphasizes his awareness and attentiveness.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/sequitur/sequitur-2.html
Performed by Ensemble Intègrales (Barbara Lüneburg: vl, Burkhard Friedrich: sax, Ashley Hribar: pno, Oleg Dziewanowski: perc) and Karlheinz Essl: m@z°2
more or less is an computer-driven realtime composition where the musicians do not reproduce parts of a fixed score. Instead of executing a pre-fabricated text from note sheets, they are viewing computer monitors which display random-generated playing instructions.
During the performance of the piece the musicians can make queries to their computers asking for playing instructions whenever they feel a necessity for it. Furthermore, a random-generated Haiku is created whenever a musician receives a new instruction from the computer. This is a three-liner providing a puzzle which has to be „solved” by the musicians and which will influence the interpretation of the required structure to a great extend. (Karlheinz Essl)
A music mobile for four saxophones, performed by Ensemble 4saxess during the IGNM Musikfest 2007 at Konzerthaus Vienna.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/7x7/7x7-saxophones.html
Jonathan Meese, der sanftwütige Kunstberserker aus deutschen Landen, verwandelt den Großen Saal des Essl Museums in eine überbordende Druckkammer, in der sich Objekte, Bilder und Klänge zu einem brodelnden Lavastrom verbinden. Herzstück dieses Environments bildet eine gigantische Maschine, die in der Rotunde des Museums versenkt ist und von dort ihre Energie in Form intensiver Klangströme nach oben leitet.
Für diese Installation entwickelte der Komponist Karlheinz Essl ein vielschichtiges Klangenvironment, das ausschließlich Jonathan Meeses Stimme als Ausgangsmaterial nutzt. Mit Hilfe der Programmiersprache Max hat er einen unbändiger Klang-Generator konstruiert, dessen Verhalten nicht vorhersehbar ist und für permanente Überraschungs- und Schockmomente sorgt.
http://www.essl.at/works/atlantis.html
For inside flute, live-electronics and 4-channel sound projection. Recorded by Cordula Bösze (flute) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at Studio kHz.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/inside-out.html
Binaurale Stereoversion der Dolby 5.1 Surround-Aufnahme des ganzen 45-minütigen Stücks, das am 23.9.2006 im Dom von St. Pölten uraufgeführt wurde. Eine Kooperation von Karlheinz Essl mit Franz Danksagmüller. Für den räumlichen Hörgenuss unbedingt Kopfhörer verwenden!
Die langsame Einleitung zu Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts "Dissonanzenquartett" KV 465 ist voller harmonischer Kühnheiten, die nicht nur Mozarts Zeitgenossen erstaunten, sondern uns auch heute noch Rätsel aufgeben. Hier hat Mozart eine Musik erfunden, die sich bravourös über die tonalen Konventionen seiner Zeit hinwegsetzt und dabei weit in die Zukunft weist.
Eine Aufnahme dieses Einleitungssatzes, vom Organisten Franz Danksagmüller gemeinsam mit Karlheinz Essl vierhändig an der Domorgel zu St. Pölten eingespielt, dient als Materialsteinbruch für Deconstructing Mozart, das im Rahmen des Festivals Musica Sacra am 23. September 2006 im Dom von St. Pölten uraufgeführt wurde.
Aus dieser Orgelaufnahme wurden eine Anzahl von Klangstrukturen extrahiert, die das klangliche Ausgangsmaterial für das von Karlheinz Essl entwickelte elektronische Kompositions- und Improvisations-Environments m@zeº2 bilden. Vielleicht lässt sich dieser Vorgang mit der Arbeit eines Alchemisten vergleichen, der in seinem Labor edle Farbpigmente und Malmittel aus Natursubstanzen gewinnt, um damit anschließend ein Bild zu malen, das "Luft von anderen Planeten" spürbar machen will.
Generative sound environment for Johanes Zechner's exhibition "TRAUM UND TRAUMA: Berlinkoffer" at the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg, shown in fall 2006. Programmed in MaxMSP.
http://www.essl.at/works/berliner-luft.html
A virtual walk through the AIR BORNE environment by Stefan Krüskemper with a generative sound environment composed by Karlheinz Essl. Permanent art installation at the campus of the Humboldt University in Berlin-Adlershof.
http://www.essl.at/works/airborne.html http://www.air-borne.info
In the past, the site of today’s aerodynamic park in Berlin-Adlershof was a place filled with technical sounds. Whilst various periods of restructuring have changed the quality and quantity of the sounds, they have not been able to touch the qualities of the space on a visual and spatial level.
This is what gave rise to the idea for the AIR BORNE sound installation – an installation which loosely connects the silenced historical buildings with a new, artistic noise, reminding us of the characteristic which once defined this place.
Each sound piece in the 15 themes which make up the composition is based on three authentic audio files researched and selected for the project by Stefan Krüskemper from the collection held at the German radio archive in Babelsberg. Sound pieces of all possible lengths are created by programmed variations and adaptations in conjunction with the generative software developed by the Viennese composer Karlheinz Essl. The software, which was developed specially for the AIR BORNE project in the aerodynamic park, is both creator of and medium for the composition.
Excerpt of an aquatic soundscape for Jürgen Messensee's installation „Piscina di Venere” in the rotunda of the Essl Museum in Vienna/Klosterneuburg (Austria) in 2006.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/panta-rhei.html
Water in its diverse aggregate states and forms of flowing is the basic acoustic material for this piece, which is permanently scanned, altered in its corporality and continuously recomposed through a random-based compositional algorithm. Here the form and energy distribution of a wave serve as the fundamental formal principle: the rising and falling of the sounds, the glissando movements and the spectral sound shifts are controlled by a time-variant wave model, the parameters of which are constantly changed by random operations. In this way, a process is set in motion that eludes any kind of external control and is carried out before the ears of the listeners like a natural phenomenon: "panta rhei" - everything flows.
In 2006, Swiss artist Beat Zoderer and Austrian composer Karlheinz Essl were commissioned to create a collaborative work for the music festival Stanser Musiktage. In an abandoned repository situated in the heart of the Swiss alps, both artists were setting up a room installation made of sewer pipes. Those plastic parts of different lengths were equipped with funnel speakers driven by a customized computer program written in MaxMSP by Karlheinz Essl. Utilizing realtime composition algorithms which the composers develops since 1985, his software created an ever-changing sonic environment which never repeated itself.
Seen from outside, the structure resembled a giant jackstraw heap which invited the public to explore the space. Sounds that were projected from the loudspeakers through the pipes commuted through the air, creating a mysterious atmosphere as if some hidden creatures were talking to each other in an incomprehensible, yet compelling language.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/hirsch-roehren.html
Generative sound installation for a photo documentation on Viennese Actionism. Part of the exhibition "AUSTRIA: 1900-2000" at the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg.
The sound-environment nature / morte has been conceived by the composer Karlheinz Essl especially for this exhibition. An artificial world of sound, generated by a computer programme written in Max/MSP in realtime, intends to “earthen“ the freeze-frames and bring into play again the lost dimensions of time and sound. Through listening, in a subliminal way, the connection between the analytical eye and the non-rational levels of the unconscious is intended to get re-established, in order to enable the listeners to re-experience the sensual overall coherence of time and sound.
The title "nature / morte" (French still-life; literally: ‚dead nature’) reflects these dialectics between nature dynamically unfolding and lifeless statics. A stream of sound, pouring into the Rotunda via four loud-speakers, is recurrently halted – as if stemmed –, in order to be released again afterwards, with all its power.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/nature-morte.html
Performed by exxj at the Austrian Parliament on 22 Jan 2006.
Dieses Klangspiel für räumlich verteilte Instrumentalisten ist nicht in Partiturform, sondern als Kartenspiel notiert. Es besteht aus 48 Einzelkarten mit unterschiedlichen musikalischen Motiven. Jeder Musiker erhält einen eigenen Kartenstapel, der vor dem Spiel gemischt wird. Dadurch wird eine zufällige Abfolge des musikalischen Materials erzeugt; allerdings darf der Spieler selbst entscheiden, wann er seine aktuelle Karte ins Spiel bringt und hat gewisse interpretatorische Freiheiten hinsichtlich der zeitlichen und dynamischen Gestaltung. Da es keine von außen gesteuerte Koordination der Musiker gibt, entsteht das Stück aus der momentanen Interaktion der Spieler, die zwar nicht verhersehbar ist, aber dennoch auf ein gemeinsames harmonisches und motivisches Ausgangsmaterial rekurriert. So bleibt die systemimmanente Logik dieses Klangspiels sinnlich nachvollziehbar (Karlheinz Essl).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/faites-vos-jeux.html
Performed by ensemble xx. jahrhundert at the Austrian Parliament in Vienna on 22 Jan 2006.
Binaural recording in surround sound (3D audio)- listen with headphones!
Die Nachhallzeiten des marmornen Parlamentsraumes (12 Sekunden) spielen bei diesem Werk eine entscheidende Rolle. Jeweils sechs Musiker sitzen in den Ecken des Raumes und erzeugen einen sich wölbenden Klangraum. Die Hüllkurve des Halls faßt zwar die Vielstimmigkeit zusammen, gleichzeitig sind kleine Klangereignisse Auslöser weiträumiger Prozesse, bei denen das Reagieren aufeinander, das Aufgreifen von Klängen und Motiven zwischen den einzelnen, ihrer jeweiligen Eigendynamik verhafteten Gruppen von entscheidender Bedeutung ist. Das Werk wird bestimmt von Gegensätzlichkeiten wie lauten Impulsen und ruhigen Flächen, blockartig konzentrierten Aktionen und weiträumigen Zerfaserungsprozessen, die oft erst knapp vor der völligen Auflösung stoppen. Symbolisch stimmt sich das Orchester zum Schluß auf den Ton A (für Austria?) ein, der in der Coda allerdings (angesichts der politischen Situation symbolträchtig) wieder verstimmt wird. (Christian Baier, 1997)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/intervention.html
Excerpt of a generative sound environment for an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Art, shown at the Austrian Essl Museum (Klosterneuburg 2004).
This piece is based on field recordings of an Aboriginal painting performance and original sounds from the Australian bush. A computer program written in Max splits the sound material into tiny grains that are re-combined by generative composition algorithms into a continuous flow of sound. Although the time structure of the original sound is completely unravelled by this process, its unique aura is preserved. And yet, this aura is no longer rigidly tied to a particular object, but has turned into a free-flowing entity that can become part of the most diverse new combinations: alchemy of sound...
STREAMING für 4 räumlich verteilte Ensemblegruppen und Hallraum wurde aus Anlass des Festivals musik aktuell eigens für die SchülerInnen der Musikschule Klosterneuburg komponiert. Dieses Werk hat keine Partitur, sondern besteht aus verschiedenen Spielmodellen, die von den Musikern improvisatorisch umgesetzt werden.
In den Raumecken eines leerstehenden Depots haben vier Ensemblegruppen à vier Spieler (Klarinette, E-Gitarre, Kontrabass und Schlagzeug) Aufstellung bezogen. Diese werden von vier DirigentInnen kontrolliert, die ihre Einsätze wiederum mittels Lichtsignalen vom Komponisten selbst erhalten.
Aus der Interaktion zwischen dem Komponisten, den DirigentInnen und den MusikerInnen der Ensemblegruppen entfaltet sich ein Organismus, der durch die lange Nachhallzeit des Depotraums zu einem komplex strukturierten Klangstrom verschmilzt. Das Publikum sitzt dabei mitten im Klanggeschehen und wird Zeuge eines unvorhersehbaren Schöpfungsaktes, in dem sich unabhängige Klangströme zu vielerlei Gestalten verdichten und wieder zerfallen.
Ausführende: Studierende der Musikschule Klosterneuburg
Gitarre: Clemens Schmiedbauer, Lukas Edtmayer, Harald Kaiser, Carl Soyka
Klarinette: Simon Essl, Walter Rossmanith, Anna Eppel, Robert Loewe
Schlagzeug: Tobias Meissl, Valentin Duit, Claas Duit, Jose Manuel Eppel
Kontrabass: Lisa Tjoa, Winfried Hoke, Wolfgang Eppel, Gerald Zott
DirigentInnen: Marian Essl, Florentina Kosely, Valeria-Luise d'Amico, Caroline Kreutzberger
Gesamtleitung: Karlheinz Essl
Excerpt, performed by Ernst Kovacic (violin) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at Minoritenkirche Krems on 13 June 2003.
"Segreto Spaziale" ist eine einstündige Klangreise als Spiegel des wechselhaften seelischen Prozesses, in dem der Mensch „zwischen Memento mori und Halleluja“ zu sich selbst findet. Karlheinz Essl hat diese Idee Ernst Kovacic’ in ein neunteiliges kompositorisches und dramaturgisches Konzept gegossen. Per Funk-Mikrophon mit dem Computer verbunden, von Lichtregie begleitet, durchwandert Kovacic Säulengänge, Seitenschiffe, Chor und Krypta der Minoritenkirche, hält auf der Violine Zwiesprache mit dem Raum und den von diesem zurück geworfenen Klängen - wie auch seinem von Essls Computer in Echtzeit prozessierten akustischen „Spiegelbild“ und rein elektronischen Sounds. Zwischen improvisierten und komponierten Strukturen wechselnd, entstehen kontrastreiche Klang-Texturen und -Skulpturen, von Individuum und architektonischem Resonanz-Körper gleichermaßen geprägt. (Andreas Felber)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/segreto-spaziale.html
Sound track for the video monitoring project "Carl Mayer - Scenar(t)ist" by ZONE (Vienna) for the film festival DIAOGONALE (Graz 2003).
Carl Mayer verfasst seine Drehbücher in einem höchst eigenwilligen Stil, mit dem er Stimmungen und Handlungsabläufe in einer äußerst verdichteten Weise ausdrücken konnte. Diese Textkonzentrate erscheinen wie musikalische Spielanweisungen: kompakt und mehrdeutig, offen und zugleich bestimmt. Diese Ambivalenz wurde zum Auslöser für meinen elektronischen Soundtrack, der nichts erzählen will, sondern ein offenes und zugleich beziehungsreiches Klangambiente ausbreitet. Aus der Schnittfolge des Monitoring-Beitrages extrahierte ich einen Meta-Rhythmus, der die zeitliche Entfaltung elektronischer Klangstrukturen bestimmt, welche mit meinem in Max/MSP geschriebenen Realtime Composition Environment m@ze°2 generiert wurden.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/
Version for three recorders, performed by Helge Stiegler (2003)
Die Musik versteht sich als Reflexion auf die Werke von Harald Naegeli, dem "Sprayer von Zürich". Es gibt in diesem Stück keine Partitur, die einen reproduzierbaren zeitlichen Verlauf festschreibt; die Musiker spielen aus von einander unabhängigen, nicht-synchronisierten Einzelstimmen. Erst durch das bewußte Reagieren auf die Klänge der anderen Instrumente entsteht - unter Berücksichtigung genauer Spielregeln - im Moment der Aufführung die Komposition. Und ebenso wie Naegeli mit an sich bedeutungsfreien "neutralen" Zeichen operiert, habe ich ein Repertoire von Partikel-Klängen entwickelt, die in ihrer reduziertesten Form von den drei Geräuschen abgeleitet sind, die eine Spraydose zu produzieren imstande ist: der kurze Punkt, der lange Strich und schließlich das rhythmische Klackern der im Inneren der Dose befindlichen Kugel. So verwandeln sich die Blasinstrumente gleichermaßen in riesige Spraydosen, die keine Farb-, sondern Klangpartikel versprühen.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/partikel.html
ON FIRE is a sonic intervention by Karlheinz Essl for the space-filling installation ONLY FIRE by the Venezian artist Fabrizio Plessi. It was presented at the Essl Museum between 28.11.2001 and 17.02.2002.
The sound of a fire blaze which is permanently filling the space is enriched with sonic gestures that are generated in real time by a special version of Karlheinz Essl's sound scape generator fLOW. The sound material on which it is based focusses on several aspects that are related with fire: steam and engine, heat and power, comfort and destruction.
Taking advantage of algorithmic models and chance operations - Karlheinz Essl's field of interest since the mid 1980ies - the sound structures emerge in realtime in an unpredictable and surprising manner. Instead of being a reproducible work, ON FIRE is an infinite process that develops like the uncontrollable power of fire.
The two sound sources for this installation are spatially distributed and separated: the constant sound of burning fire which was supplied by Fabrizio Plessi himself fills the entire space of the Grand Hall of the Essl Museum, whereas Karlheinz Essl's gestural sound scape ON FIRE is projected with 4 loudspeakers onto the curved wall of the so-called Rotunda: a circular room which opens itself into the Grand Hall like a funnel and through which the sounding of ON FIRE is transmitted into the installation space where it combines itself with the noise of the fire blaze.
The visitor, walking through the installation, will listen to different combinations and interferences of the two sound layers which constantly changes due to the move he takes.
Live recording of the world premier, performed by Garth Knox (viola d'amore) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics) at REM/SE Bludenz, Austria on 24 Nov 2000.
"da braccio" not only offer the listener the fruit of a fully-seasoned interactive computer musician and composer, but also that of an enormously experienced instrumentalist, and in so doing opens up another can of worms in today's classical music world: do we allow (yes, this is really a question for some) improvisation, or is it a taboo, as it is for so many musical thinkers. Karlheinz Essl's and Garth Knox's interaction is finely conceived and beautifully executed, and whether it is improvised or not is simply not an issue: a point of interest, definitely, but no reason to reject or, even, embrace. (Michael Edwards, 2003)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/da_braccio.html
Performed by Mürztaler Sinfonieorchester (dir. Ernst Smole) at the cathedral of Neuberg/Mürz on 15 Sep 2000.
Vier Gruppen zu je einer Trompete und einer Posaune sind in den vier Ecken eines großen und sehr halligen Aufführungsraumes um die Zuhörer herum positioniert. Die Komposition gewinnt ihre akustischen Dimensionen aus der Selbstbeschränkung, die sich der Komponist bei der Wahl des Instrumentariums auferlegt hat. Der homogene Klang der Blechbläser läßt wenig koloristische Effektmöglichkeiten zu. Doch gerade aus der Enge des klanglichen Spektrums erwächst die Vielfalt der Affekte. Alle Instrumente sind mit einem Wah-Wah-Dämpfer ausgestattet, der die Ausführung der in dem Werk vielerorts auftauchenden Ein- und Ausblendevorgänge erleichtert. Diese Fade-in- und Fade-out-Prozesse – in der Natur der Blechblasinstrumente an sich nicht vorhanden – beginnen im Unhörbaren, schwellen bis zu einem bestimmten Maximum an, um wieder im Unhörbaren zu enden. four2eight zeichnet sich durch gerade durch die filigrane Feinarbeit innerhalb der Gegebenheiten eines homogenen Klangkörpers aus. Aus der homogenen Einheit entwickelt sich eine feinstverästelte Klangvielfalt, die mit minimalen Mitteln einen maximalen Hörraum erzeugt. Dieser vielschichtigen Binnenstruktur des Werkes wohnt ein zutiefst aufklärerisches Moment inne, das in der enzyklopädischen Ausschöpfungen der Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten begründet scheint. (Christian Baier)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/four2eight.html
The Untempered Piano is an interactive sound installation that has been created by Karlheinz Essl for the Johann Sebastian Bach exhibition at the Museum of Technology in Vienna, Austria in 2000.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/untempered_piano.html
By clicking with the mouse on the colored circles and the piano keyboard on the computer screen, the user can compose an individual version of this infinite piece.
This infinite piece is being composed in realtime due to user interaction. Written in Max/MSP, it takes advantage of compositional algorithms that have been developed by Karlheinz Essl since the middle 1980s utilizing random operations, serial and stochastic procedures.
The Untempered Piano is based on piano sounds opposed to the world of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Well-Tempered Piano". It focusses on those domains that has been banished in the traditional piano music: strange, noisy and crackling sounds produced by treating the instrument with tools like horse hair, coins, chains, rubber gum, plectron etc. The "normal" piano sound - achieved by playing with fingers on the keyboard - has been completely abandoned.
Interactive realtime composition for computer-controlled piano. Version for Yamaha Disklavier (performed by Karlheinz Essl via his computer) and a Steinway Grand Piano (played by Manon Liu Winter). Performed at "7. Wiener Tage für zeitgenössische Klaviermusik" at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna on 10 Feb 1999.
Recording of a live performance at Radiokulturhaus Vienna on 6 Oct 1998 with Burkhard Stangl (e-git), Werner Dafeldecker (double bass), Gene Coleman (bass clarinet), Radu Malfatti (trombone), Elisabeth Flunger (percussion), Mary Oliver (violin), Richard Barrett (sampler) and Karlheinz Essl (conductor).
Champ d'Action is a realtime-composition for an instrumental ensemble. The musicians do not reproduce parts of a fixed score. Instead of playing a pre-fabricated text from note sheets, they are viewing computer monitors which display playing instructions on the fly. The musicians are improvising those structures according to the given parameters.
Instead of being a fixed work, this piece should be viewed as a meta-composition which unfolds itself in a completely unforeseeable manner during the performance. It provides a wide, yet demarcated "field of possibilities" (another meaning of "champ d'action") which is explored by the musicians during the performance.
Although the piece is composed of independent parts, the aim of the musicians should be to create relationships by listening and reacting to the sounds that are produced by the other players which could lead to dramatic and extremely intense situations.
The notation which is displayed on the computer screens is generated in realtime by a computer program written in Max. Whenever an external "trigger" is received by the central computer (the "master"), it will change the notation only for one musician at a time. These "triggers" can be either given by a conductor (or two sub-conductors which does not see each other) or by an external source (f.i. triggers sent by telephone or the Internet).
Infinite and interactive sound installation for the IRCAM Musical Workstation (ISPW) or 2 CD-Players. Demo version. Started in 1992 at IRCAM, Paris.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/klanglab.html
Dedicated to my son Simon (* 1991) Performed by Ensemble 86 on 28 Feb 1992 at SCHÖMER-HAUS Klosterneuburg.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/ins-offene.html
"Todverfallen ist die Geborgenheit; Chance zu überleben hat einzig das Ungeschirmte, Offene." (Theodor W. Adorno)
Performed by Les Guetteurs des Sons (dir. Karlheinz Essl) and Margarete Jungen (voice).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/space-art.html
Diese Komposition basiert auf einem "packet radio code", der ein Jahr lang von der russischen Raumstation MIR ausgesandt wird, und aus dem die wichtigsten kompositorischen Parameter abgeleitet sind. Dieser Code, der im Zuge des von Richard Kriesche initiierten ARTSAT- Projekts mehreren Künstlern als Grundmaterial einer Komposition zur Verfügung gestellt wurde, lautet:
ARTSAT AUSTROSOWIET RADIO TIME SPACE ART TELECREATION WELTRAUM KULTURRAUM RCCW TU GRAZ 1991 AREMIR
Dieser Code wird in einen eigens dafür konstruierte Kompositionalgorithmus eingespeist, der schließlich dieses Stück für 3 Schlagzeuger und Frauenstimme generiert.
Performed by the ORF Symphonieorchester (dir. Mario Venzago) at the festival Musikprotokoll on 11 Oct 1991 in Graz.
In Essls Orchesterstück werden die vom Computer errechneten zeitlichen Strukturen einer Handvoll musikalischer Charaktere unter des Komponisten Feder zu einer umfangreichen Klangwelt aufgefächert. Diese skelettartigen Charaktere einer heißt "Schatten" und besteht in Impuls und klanglichem Nachzittern, ein anderer heißt "Feld" sind als Reinform, in der sie das digitale Environment der Essl'schen Software liefert, gar nicht vorstellbar, sie bedürfen erst der Interpretation, um Musik zu werden. Erst diese Interpretation macht die Unterschiede der drei Abschnitte nachhörbar, wenngleich jene bereits bei der Programmierung des Computers angestrebt wurden. Oberstes Gebot ist jedoch das subjektive Reagieren des Komponisten auf den Prozeß des Werkes, der die Komposition interaktiv lenkt. Essl: "Ähnliche Konstellationen können sich so aufgrund des bereits zurückgelegten Weges und den dabei gewonnenen Erfahrungen als neuartige Gestalten manifestieren". Essl komponiert sein Werk, als höre er es zum ersten Mal, das Hoffen auf die Individualität der Hörer entspringt mithin dem Vertrauen auf die eigene.
Die musikalischen Charaktere irren im Abschnitt "In Girum" quer durch die Instrumente eine geräuschbetonte Musik, in der metallene Schläge der umfangreichen Perkussion am ehesten den Kern eines Charakters markieren. Die stotternden Einsätze in den durchweg solistisch geführten Orchestergruppen sind zwar ein Merkmal der gesamten Partitur, hier aber entbehren sie jeglicher Linearität. Somit entsteht eine strömende Klangwelt, deren Farben verschwimmen. In "Imus" dagegen werden die Liegeklänge vor allem rhythmisch interpretiert, was zunächst klarere Strukturen suggeriert. Diese aber sind wiederum in verwirrender Weise auf das gesamte Orchester verteilt und zudem mit Vokabeln aus "In Girum" durchmischt. Erst in "Nocte" erlaubt Essl die Konzentration auf seine Vokabeln, ihre Phoneme werden bedächtig aneinandergereiht. Der Name der Nacht ist durchbuchstabiert (Christoph Becher).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/in-girum.html
An composition for chamber orchestra, premiered by Ensemble Modern (conducted by Hans Zender) at Musikprotokoll in Graz on Oct 6th, 1990.
This piece was composed with the aid of Gottfried Michael Koenig's composition program PR1.
Für seine Arbeit an der Komposition Oh tiempo tus pirámides scheint sich Karlheinz Essl jener Sekte, von deren Verschwinden aus der Bibliothek von Babel Jorge Luis Borges erzählt, erinnert zu haben. Einer jener Buchstabenkombinationen, die im Chaos dieser unbegreiflich großen Bibliothek gefunden worden waren, den vier Worten "O Zeit, deine Pyramiden", verdankt das Werk seinen Namen. Während Borges' Sekte dem Schauer vor der Unendlichkeit durch neue, selbst erwürfelte Kombinationen der vorgegebenen Buchstaben beikommen wollte, begann Karlheinz Essl die Bestandteile seines musikalischen Materials neu anzufertigen, geordnet nach überlieferten Parametern, nach deren Kombinationsmöglichkeiten und Schattierungen.
Doch innerhalb jenes Strukturskelettes, das Abfolge und Prozesse dieser Klangpartikel steuert (und auf einem von Essl entwickelten Computerprogramm beruht, das Gottfried Michael Koenigs Programm "Projekt 1" transformiert), wird dem "verbotenenen Würfelbecher", dem Faktor Zufall, Entscheidungsfähigkeit eingeräumt. Denn in das Chaos der Zeichen will Essl weder ausschließlich mit Determinismus, noch mit einem radikal unvorhersehbaren Würfelbecher ordnend eingreifen, und auch nicht lediglich mit der Objektivität einer vorgefertigten Struktur oder dem Pendant, seiner puren Subjektivität. Es ist das Spannungsfeld dieser vier Pole, das sich der Komponist geschaffen hat, um "so etwas wie eine eigene Syntax, eine künstliche Sprache" zu erstellen.
Das Werk Oh tiempo tus pirámides hat neun Abschnitte und diese klingende Rekonstruktion einer Sprache, die es nie gab, steuert auf Grund der computererrechneten Zufallsentscheidungen und vor allem den sie künstlerisch interpretierenden Kompositionsstrategien Karlheinz Essl's auf einen Höhepunkt am Ende des siebten Abschnittes zu. Bevor das Erreichte im Epilog der letzten beiden Teile wiederum brüchig und löchrig wird, berührt das Stück mit einer kurzen, solistischen Melodie der Posaune eine Tradition, deren Vorgaben den Komponisten letztlich zum Erfinden einer eigenen Sprache veranlaßt hatten. (Christian Scheib)
A spatial composition for three ensemble groups, commissioned by the festival Musikprotokoll 1990. Premiered by Ensemble Modern (dir. Peter Eötvös) at Alte Remise, Graz (A) on 4 Oct 1990. This performance was accompanied by a light environment by the Swiss artist Alfons Schilling (1934-2013).
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/et-cons.html
Mit Peitschenknallen, metallischen Perkussionsklängen und tonlos luftigem Spiel der Bläser beginnt ...et consumimur igni, mit geräuschhaften Klängen ohne definierte Tonhöhe. Die daraus hervorwachsenden Prozesse tendieren mit wechselnder Geschwindigkeit und Intensität zu einer als Gegenpol verstandenen, reinen und tonhöhenfixierten Klangcharakteristik.
In drei Ensemble-Gruppen laufen diese Entwicklungen parallel ab, doch mit jeweils eigenem Zeitempfinden, sich auseinander bewegend, aneinander herantastend, überholend. Ein Zeit-Raum entsteht, in dem die zeitlichen Verschiebungen die Koordinaten des klingenden Raumes ergeben, der seinerseits wieder zur Bedingung für die erzählerische Essenz des Stückes wird.
Der reine Klang mit fixierter Tonhöhe in seiner raumgreifenden Wirkung erscheint als eine der Stationen eines alchemistischen Weges, der vom Wandern und Pendeln zwischen Polen, zwischen Geräusch und Ton, zwischen Punkt und Fläche geprägt ist.
...et consumimur igni - "und werden vom Feuer verzehrt" - ist die zweite Hälfte eines rätselhaften Palindroms, das in seiner ganzen, von hinten nach vorne gelesenen Form vom kreisenden Gehen in der Nacht und der Reinigung durch das symbolhafte Bild des Feuers berichtet. Der Titel charakterisiert eine Komposition, im Laufe derer sich die Facetten komplexer Klangelemente in ständiger Bewegung verändern und erneuern. (Christian Scheib)
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/et-cons.html
Recorded live on 14 Mar 1989 at Konzerthaus Vienna by Klangforum Wien.
Als Goethe einmal vom Streichquartett sagte, er "höre hier vier vernünftige Leute sich miteinander unterhalten", drückte er eine Auffassung aus, die bis in die Musik unseres Jahrhunderts reicht: Musik sei Klangrede, eine Art von Sprache, die auf Grund einer verbindlichen Grammatik verstanden werden kann. Gekoppelt daran war die Vorstellung eines musikalischen Wettkampfes zwischen gleichwertigen Partnern: die Dialektik zwischen Individuum und Kollektiv wurde hier musikalisch ausformuliert.
Im Streichquartett 1985 versuchte ich einen anderen Weg zu beschreiten. Den Klangkörper eines Streichquartetts dachte ich mir nicht mehr aus vier miteinander konkurrierenden Stimmen zusammengesetzt. Ich wollte ihn als Einheit - etwas völlig Verschmolzenes - sehen. Die Individualität der Einzelstimme ist hier tendenziell abgeschafft und kaum mehr hörbar. An ihre Stelle tritt das Aufgehen in einen übergeordneten, kollektiven Zustand: das Auflösen des Einzelnen, Ereignishaften in einen völlig entmaterialisierten, kaum mehr instrumental zu nennenden Klang. Anstatt einen musikalischen Wettstreit miteinander auszutragen, reagieren die Musiker in subtilster Weise aufeinander, um völlig im Bereich des Klanges zu verschmelzen. Dieser Prozeß wird jedoch immer wieder von Störungen unterbrochen: wenn eines der Instrumente sich müht, seiner Individualität hörbar Ausdruck zu verleihen. Diese Anstrengung gerät dann zum Paradox, wenn sie von allen Spielern gleichzeitig unternommen wird - gegen Schluß des Quartetts. Als dessen Resultat erscheint nämlich der Anfangszustand des Werkes: der völlig aufgelöste, verschmolzene, gleichsam gläserne Klang.
Info: http://www.essl.at/works/strqu-85.html