Name: SOLO / John McCowen
Start: 2025-01-25T22:00:00+00:00
Location: Harpa tónlistar- og ráðstefnuhús / Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre

$SOLO \/ John McCowen$

SOLO / John McCowen
Laugardagur 25. Janúar 2025
22:00-23:00
Norðurljós
MIÐASALA/TICKETS
Tónleikarnir eru um klukkustundarlangir, án hlés.
Efnisskrá:
Ný einleiksverk eftir John McCowen
Flytjandi:
John McCowen, kontrabassaklarínett
Á einleikstónleikum sínum frumflytur tónskáldið og kontrabassaklarínettuleikarinn John McCowen eigin verk fyrir kontrabassaklarínett sem öll voru samin síðla árs 2024. Í tónlist sinni þenur John út hljóðheim hljóðfæris síns til hins ítrasta svo að í ljós kemur, að því er virðist, smásær og iðandi lífheimur sem samsettur er úr sindrandi áferð og smágerðum hreyfingum hljóðanna.
Tónlistarferill John McCowen einkennist af ástríðu fyrir því að finna fjölradda tungumál á hljóðfæri sem er að uppruna til einradda – klarinettið. Hljóðheimur John McCowen er einstakur, og minnir á síbreytilegt hljóðlandslag rafræns endurvarps. Verkum hans hefur verið lýst af The New Yorker sem „hljóðrænu jafngildi örvera á smásjárgleri“ og sem „undraverðri sýningu á tæru hljóði og mannlegum vilja“ af The Wire. Hljóðrit með verkum Johns hafa verið gefin út hjá útgáfufyrirtækjunum International Anthem, Edition Wandelweiser, Sound American, Astral Spirits, Superpang og fleirum.
John hefur unnið mikið með tónskáldinu og hljóðfæraleikaranum Roscoe Mitchell. Hann hefur útsett og umritað verk Mitchells fyrir hljómsveitir og kammerhópa ásamt því að leika með honum bassasaxófón og kontrabassaklarínett dúó.
John býr í Reykjavík þar sem hann kennir spunatónlist við Listaháskóla Íslands.
…
At his solo concert, composer and contrabass clarinetist John McCowen will premiere a series of his own works for contrabass clarinet, all composed in late 2024. In his music, John pushes the sonic possibilities of his instrument to the extreme, revealing what seems to be a microscopic, teeming sound world filled with shimmering textures and delicate sonic movements.
The concert will last approximately one hour, without intermission.
John McCowen’s musical life has become an obsession with discovering a polyphonic language on a historically monophonic instrument - the clarinet. This has led him to a unique acoustic vocabulary that is akin to a shifting soundscape of electronic feedback. John's multiphonic approach is based in drones, difference tones, and beating harmonics as a means to showcase the compositional potential within a single, acoustic sound source. His work has been described by The New Yorker as “the sonic equivalent of microscopic life viewed on a slide” and “an astonishing demonstration of pure sound and human will” by The Wire. He has released documents on International Anthem, Edition Wandelweiser, Sound American, Astral Spirits, Superpang, and others.
John has collaborated extensively with the composer and instrumentalist, Roscoe Mitchell. He has orchestrated, arranged, and transcribed Mitchell’s works for orchestras and other ensembles as well as performing as a duo of bass saxophone and contrabass clarinet.
John remains stubbornly dedicated to acoustic phenomena. His works do not utilize amplifier feedback or electronically-generated sounds unless specified. He currently resides in Reykjavík, Iceland where he teaches Music Improvisation at the Iceland University of the Arts.