Double Bill

«Double Bill». The concept is simple: two concerts, two artistic styles, one shared evening. Musicians and ensembles from the region invite friends and colleagues from beyond the Röstigraben to Basel. Together, they create a richly contrasting double bill that brings together different musical perspectives.

James Morley – «Entkopplung»
The first part of the evening will be presented by cellist James Morley with «Entkopplung», a programme of new works by the composers Isaac Roth Blumfield, Robin Michel and Elnaz Seyedi. The focus is on questions of disembodiment and virtuosity, as well as the relationship between the classical instrument and technology. In doing so, the traditionally expressive character of the cello is transformed and re-examined from a contemporary perspective, without losing sight of the instrument’s essence. Using body-mounted microphones and electromechanical modifications to cello playing, Morley explores new possibilities for the instrument and develops alternative ways of experiencing a live cello performance. «Entkopplung» thus examines the role of the purely acoustic instrument in an increasingly digitalised world: can it break free from technological interdependencies and gain new freedom? Or, in attempt to keep pace with technological developments is it reaching its limits?

Enno Poppe/Ensemble Contrechamps – «Laub»
In the second part of the «Double Bill», the Ensemble Contrechamps performs Enno Poppe’s «Laub». The title itself refers to the plant world, which repeatedly plays a central role in Poppe’s work, and at the same time to his conception of sound as something that is constantly changing, branching out and multiplying. From the tiniest musical elements, a dense network emerges that constantly hovers on the threshold between order and disorder.

Enno Poppe himself describes the creative process behind «Laub» as an interplay between the most precise observation and a loss of control: «Every single cell can be illuminated and observed. Are we under a microscope or in a dream? How is it that one is wide awake and fully focused, yet at the same time loses all sense of time, the tonal system and all other organising forces? If I already knew what was going to happen in a new piece, I wouldn’t need to write it. What is clear is that I start with very little: fragments of a melody, tiny elements that are very similar to one another. From these origins, a dense web of relationships emerges – a jungle, a dream. The piece is always on the threshold between order and disorder. It sings; it waits.»
With every new work, Poppe says, he seeks to take another path. Large-scale, sometimes loud and imposing works such as «Prozession» and «Körper» were initially followed by miniatures such as «Augen» and «Blumen», which focused on individual moments. Earlier chamber music works such as «Trauben» and «Fleisch» on the other hand are characterised by a wild, intense energy. «Laub» offers a contrast to this: the chamber music piece lasts around 40 minutes, is delicate and sprawling, classically orchestrated and takes a pass on electronics and unusual instruments. And then, as Poppe himself writes, «at some point, it simply stops».

With

James Morley (cello); Isaac Roth Blumfield, Robin Michel, Elnaz Seyedi (composition)

Enno Poppe (composition/conductor); Ensemble Contrechamps: Antoine Françoise (keyboards); Susanne Peters (flute); Violaine Dufès (oboe); Laurent Bruttin (clarinet); Maximilian Haft (violin); Hans Egidi (viola); Martina Brodbeck (cello)

Program

8:00 p.m.:
James Morley – «Entkopplung»
Isaac Roth Blumfield (*1996): «Too Many Ghosts» (2027, UA)
Robin Michel (*1988): «Entkopplung» (2027, UA)
Elnaz Seyedi (*1982): Neues Werk (2027, UA)
Enno Poppe (*1969): «Zwölf» (2014)

Break

9:00 p.m.:
Enno Poppe/Ensemble Contrechamps – «Laub»
Enno Poppe (*1969): «Laub» (2024) for Ensemble

Duration

100 minutes, with break

Prices

CHF 35.-/25.-/15.- (free choice at the box office or in advance)
Free admission applies to persons with residence permit N, F or S. / CHF 5.- students of the Hochschule für Musik FHNW and the Musicology Seminar of the University of Basel / CHF 10.- members Colourkey, KulturLegi and children under 12 years.

Links

→ jamesmorleyxcello.com
→ Durrie Butts Instagram
→ contrechamps.ch