News archive (2017–current)
2020
- With the Coronavirus once again sadly tightening its grip on us, many countries and regions have imposed a major shutdown of the public and cultural life. The first performances of my music to be cancelled are the ones in France: the premiere of my piano miniature ce n'est qu'en nageant nu at the Philharmonie de Paris as well its follow-up performance in Nancy/Lorraine. A new premiere date and venue is currently being scouted. Luckily, Ensemble BRuCH will be able to perform their concert at Festival Rockenhausen (Germany), albeit behind closed doors, and have a recording online shortly after, which I will be gladly sharing once available. Stay strong and healthy everyone. [11/02/2020]
"There is no escape from the voice. A hundred times I object that that is all beside the point, but, although it goes silent for a little while, it starts up again, imperceptibly at first, with its stubborn 'Yes, yes, you may be right, but it's still not the stone that looks like a lump of fat'. I am slowly filled with an unbearable sense of my own powerlessness." (Gustav Meyrink, The Golem, 1915)
- Coincidentally stumbled upon the live-recording of my orchestra piece "Bellygoat Boom", the world premiere of its instrumental substrate version performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne under the baton of maestra Elena Schwarz. Feel free to check it out! [10/19/2020]
"I want to run, I want to hide / I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside / I wanna reach out and touch the flame" (U2, Where the streets have no name)
- Back in Cologne, after a marvellous, albeit emergency-state-like time in beautiful Paris as well as intense and inspiring rehearsals and experimentation workshops with the ensembles Inverspace und Recherche. Looking forward to the world premiere of the new version of "sweep over me them dusty bristles" and the last pending recording for my upcoming portrait disc on Edition zeitgenössische Musik/WERGO. [06.10.2020]
- Arrived safe and sound at the Cité Internationale des Arts and still a couple of weeks ahead. I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity to be able zu spend this special time in this not less special city and to connect with old and new friends, making new discoveries and refreshing my senses. In the meantime the new version of my piece for the splendid Ensemble Inverspace is done, the new title isn't decided upon yet, what is though, is that we'll be molding the theatrical and choreographic concept of the piece further in an inspiring and inspired collaboration with dancer and choreographer Eddie Martinez (Tanztheater Pina Bausch/Wuppertal). Zoom be blessed, and so I'm very much looking forward to our rehearsals in September in Switzerland and more so the performance in October in Cologne. Meanwhile the rehearsals have started for the premiere of my piano miniature "ce n'est qu'en nageant nu", written for the Parisian pianist Hugues Leclère, for a premiere at Philharmonie de Paris/Cité de la Musique. Also, the first dates for the 2020/21 season have been confirmed. For more details information, feel free to check out the section "Dates"! [17.08.2020]
- When I picked the title "craving your kiss" about three months ago, I didn't expect it to become so universally applicable to our current situation. The world is going crazy, concerts are cancelled, people socially distant, the future uncertain. So two new pieces are done, awaiting their premiere, "ce n'est qu'en nageant nu", a piano miniature written for Hugues Leclère, to be premiered at Paris Philharmonie this December, as well as "craving your kiss" for large versatile ensemble, featuring an array 53 micro-tonally tuned plastic pois, full winds (including saxophone) and strings, two percussionists and synthesizer. Commissioned by the ACHT BRÜCKEN festival of Cologne and the German Music Council, the concert to be performed by the European Workshop for Contemporary Music, conducted by Rüdiger Bohn, had to be postponed, just like so many others, which is sad but a moderate price to pay though given the severity of the situation and our responsibility to help contain the virus and keep our everyone as safe as possible. I'm looking forward to sharing this music in a hopefully not too distant future and doing my share in contributing to a reviving communal life.
"Say "Night-ie night" and kiss me / Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me / While I'm alone and blue as can be / Dream a little dream of me" (Gus Kahn)
- New piano piece in the making: A miniature for pianist Hugues Leclère as part of a cycle of Beethoven Bagatelles op. 119 and op. 126, to be premiered at Paris Philharmonie in December 2020! [9/12/2019]
- I'm very glad to be part of Akademie Musiktheater heute of the Deutschen Bank foundation, starting this fall and for the two upcoming years, and thus be able to finally delve deeper into the subject matter of music (and) theatre, to see and hear new things and above all meet lots of interesting new people and their work! Shouts to the Deutsche Bank foundation for this opportunity and the selection commitee for their trust! [12/06/2019]
- The recording of "le vide à perdre" is done! After fun and intense rehearsals in Stuttgart and two days in the studio in Cologne I would like to thank the outstanding ensemble ascolta including Nicholas Kok in the conducting stand and their guests Marco Blauww (prepared trumpet), Andreas Roth (prepared trombone), Benjamin Kobler (synthesizer) and Matthias Schneider (sound direction) as well as sound engineer Stephan Schmidt and his recording team of Deutschlandfunk Radio Cologne. It was a real blast and I'm looking forward to hearing our "electro inferno" (Südwest Presse on 02/07/2017) in a powerful mixdown in the not-too-far-away future! You'll find a bunch of making-of stills here on FB:
[12/03/2019]
2019
- Very happy and grateful for being selected for a two-months-residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris! Curious and looking forward to returning to inspiring Paris for a longer period of time after many years and under new and different circumstances! [10/31/2019]
- Currently wrapping up a new version of le vide à perdre to get ready for the first recording (@ Deutschlandfunk) for my portrait CD to be released by Edition zeitgenössische Musik/WERGO with the marvelous ensemble ascolta and Nicholas Kok conducting. [10/25/2019]
- Very happy to be able to share the recording of Bellygoat Boom (substrate), just recently premiered by the WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Elena Schwarz (at WDR Funkhaus Cologne). Click forward to minute 25 in order to jump right to the beginning, you'll find a direct link here. Enjoy! [10/15/2019]
"Many ages of groans: till there grew / Branchy forms organizing the Human / Into finite inflexible organs. / ... / Incessant the falling Mind labour’d, / Organizing itself, till the Vacuum / Became element, pliant to rise, / Or to fall, or to swim, or to fly..." (William Blake, The Book of Los)
- Last week saxophonist Takuro Ogawa played two Asian premieres of fuckin'A! at Komatsu City (Ishikawa Prefecture) as well as at the Shanghai New Music Week/2nd Asia Saxophone Congress held at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Feel free to check out his jiggy interpretation from Komatsu City: [09/29/2019]
- Working full throttle on my next piece Bellygoat Boom for the amazing WDR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestra Elena Schwarz, to be premiered this upcoming October at WDR Funkhaus in Cologne (D). Stay tuned for more info!
"Bellygoat boom / At ache of / Day bang." (© JK, 1955) [03/19/2019]
- Last week in Madrid, saxophonist Maria Torres Melgares moved on to the finals of the Juventudes Musicales de España wind instruments competition with her very own fierce interpretation of fuckin' A! Congrats María for this success and the beautiful rendition of the piece — everybody else, feel free to check out this impromptu recording her performance and let her bedazzle you with her impetuosity! [03/17/2019]
- Happy New Year to everyone! After an intense two-month trip across Aotearoa/New Zealand, getting a glimpse at the depths of kaupapa Māori, kapa haka and taonga puoro, I’m back in Cologne and have finally the time to slowly but surely revisit and process the experiences of this journey, the biggest gift being the beautiful encounters and new friendships I have been lucky enough to make along the way, the amazing manākitanga or hospitality I’ve experienced and the humbling beauty and force of the music and dance I’ve been able to witness. A huge thank you to everyone for being part of this journey, making it so special and supporting my endeavor in their trusting and generous manner. Regardless of where it’ll lead me, I’m looking forward to continuing the kōrero and will be holding these memories ever so dear! Shouts out also to the Arts Foundation of Northrhine-Westfalia for making this trip possible.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, mauri ora ki a koutou katoa. [01/26/2019]
- By way of end-of-year review, here's a short interview about the making of my piece "Dance of the Dream Men" that I wrote in 2018 for Slagwerk Den Haag and Gaudeamus Muziekweek. Thanks to Concerto Media for the amazing recording and the Gaudeamus team for their efforts. You'll find a link to the complete recording of the piece in the video description, or simply clickhere. Enjoy! [12/18/2018]
2018
- fuckin' A!! The Video is out!!! Huge thanks to Patrick Stadler for his tireless work, on the music and the editing, and congrats to this beautiful recording! Many thanks also to Kunstgalerie Köln and Evangelos Kouklinos for letting us shoot at their exhibition space. Enjoy! [10.10.2018]
- After two gorgeous weeks at Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Utrecht, here are some words about my music (in English). Thanks to VPRO and Aad van Nieuwkerk for the nice chat! [10/06/2018]
- I'm very happy to have been selected for a portrait CD as part of the series "Edition zeitgenössische Musik" with the CD label WERGO! Thanks to the selection commitee of the German Music Council for their trust and support, I'm looking forward to intense recording sessions and the collaboration with the musicians and the recording team! [05/01/2018]
- Video recording of fuckin' A! with saxophonist Patrick Stadler in the making! Further info coming soon. [04/28/2018]
- The teaser to the nomination for this year's Gaudeamus Award is online! Have fun watching and be invited to coming to Utrecht! [04/25/2018]
- Selected for a one-month residency in September 2018 at Villa Wasmuth near Bonn (Germany). I'm grateful to the hosts, Beethoven-Haus Bonn and the German Academic Foundation, and am looking forward to several weeks of concentrated work as well as the final concert on October 6th! [26/02/2018]
2017
- Selected for ManiFeste Academy 2018 at IRCAM/Paris upcoming June! Looking forward to numerous encounters with composers, dancers, conductors, artists and the musicians of the Ensemble Intercontemporain! [07/12/2017]
- Nominated for the 2018 Gaudeamus Award! Very much looking forward to three performances, including the competition entry Wie ein Stück Fett (Redux) and one world premiere with Slagwerk Den Haag, in September 2018 in Utrecht/Netherlands! For further information, click here. [11/16/2017]
- Commission for a piece for Ensemble Inverspace with concerts in Berlin, Freiburg and Cologne in Summer 2018! Additional info coming soon. [11/06/2017]
- Selected for a one-month residency in July 2019 at Künstlerhaus LUKAS (Ahrenshoop, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/Germany)! [09/05/2017]
- Commission for a new solo piece for my friend and amazing accordionist Krisztián Palágyi in the making! Premiere scheduled for Spring 2018. [07/22/2017]
- One-week residency at Studio éOle (Toulouse) planned for 2018. [07/07/2017]
- My piece LAL (First Draft) has been published on the album Kurzwelle by ensemble hand werk. Feel free to tune in and download here! [01/04/2017]