«STRATA» – stone / voice / resonance

«STRATA» invites you to experience sound in a new way. Over two days at the Gare du Nord two contemporary music ensembles with distinct sonic worlds will come together: the vocal ensemble SoloVoices and the sound art trio The Stone Alphabet. The human voice meets stone instruments and electronics, complemented by visual art and the space itself.

Unfolding in several overlapping layers, «STRATA» takes the form of four concerts offering different perspectives on listening. The spectrum ranges from condensed vocal music through historical electronic sound art and immersive soundscapes to a joint closing programme featuring several world premieres.

The creation and development of new music also take centre stage. Commissioned compositions by Cécile Marti, Alina Dzięcioł, Paul Taro Schmidt and Mathias Steinauer are interwoven with pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries, opening up new connections between voice, stone and electronics.

The myth of Orpheus runs like a thread through the project: his singing is said not only to have moved people and animals, but even to have made stones weep. «STRATA» takes up this image and transposes it into the present day. The result is a sonic universe that transcends genre boundaries and invites conscious, curious listening.

With

Strata 1
SoloVoices: Svea Schildknecht (soprano); Francisca Näf (mezzo-soprano); Ivo Haun, Jean-J. Knutti (tenor); Jean-Christophe Groffe (bass)

Strata 2
The Stone Alphabet: Matthias Brodbeck (sounding stones/drums/Orgalitho/gongs/percussion); Dominik Dołęga (lithophone/stone gongs/stone table/Orgalitho/Aluphone/percussion); Mathias Steinauer (Fender Rhodes electric piano/synthesiser/quarter-tone Clavinet/Orgalitho); Roberto Mucchiut (video projection)

Strata 3
The Stone Alphabet: Matthias Brodbeck (resonant stones/drums/Orgalitho/gongs/percussion); Dominik Dołęga (lithophone/stone gongs/stone table/Orgalitho/Aluphone/percussion); Mathias Steinauer (Fender Rhodes electric piano/synthesiser/quarter-tone Clavinet/Orgalitho)

Strata 4
SoloVoices: Svea Schildknecht (soprano); Francisca Näf (mezzo-soprano); Jean-J. Knutti (tenor); Jean-Christophe Groffe (bass)
The Stone Alphabet: Matthias Brodbeck (sounding stones/drums/Orgalitho/gongs/percussion); Dominik Dołęga (lithophone/stone gongs/stone table/Orgalitho/Aluphone/percussion); Mathias Steinauer (Fender Rhodes electric piano/synthesiser/quarter-tone Clavinet/Orgalitho)

Program

Strata 1
Erik Oña (1961–2019): «Per aures ad animum» (2019)
Hans-Jürg Meier (1964–2015): «…und die Musik immer neu, baut im unbrauchbaren Raum» (2011)
Cécile Marti (*1973): «One Voice» (2027, UA, Commissioned composition)
Karin Wetzel (*1981): «TO A SUMMER’S DAY» (2026)

Strata 2
Pierre Henry (1927–2017), Pierre Schaeffer (1910–1995): «Orphée 53» (1953)

Strata 3
Improvised soundscapes and musical miniatures

Strata 4
Alina Dzięcioł (*1998): «Double Bind» (2027, world premiere, commissioned work)
Paul Taro Schmidt (*1998): «No Sound Where She Walked» (2027, world premiere, commissioned work)
Mathias Steinauer (*1959): «EURYDICE» (2027, world premiere, commissioned work)
The Stone Alphabet: «Beryl» (2024, collective work)
The Stone Alphabet: «Heliotrop» (2024, collective work)

Duration

60 minutes, no break

Prices

Single ticket CHF 35/25/15
Day pass CHF 65/45/25
Festival pass CHF 105/75/45

Links

→ sfaira.ch
→ solovoices.ch
→ www.thestonealphabet.ch
→ Instagram The Stone Alphabet
→ Instagram Solo Voices