Faculty - Stockhausen Courses Kürten 2008

Secondly, the Center for Stockhausen Space Music will be initiated in which a new course on how to project Stockhausen’s music in space is being offered to all musicians who are already sound projectionists, all musicians and music lovers who want to learn more about the art of sound projection, and sound technicians who want to learn how Stockhausen’s equipment is installed and adjusted to arrive at the legendary authentic “Stockhausen sound”.

The first 7 concerts (July 4th–10th) will comprise works of his electronic music and projection of multi-track recordings of interpreters. Following the dress rehearsals every forenoon, the participants in the sound projectionist course will have the opportunity to practice the works which are being performed both weeks, learn how to arrive at the authentic Stockhausen soundthrough hours of fine adjustment (aiming, height, filtering) of the loudspeakers, and mixer circuiting. Further, they will be able to participate in the installation of loudspeaker configurations from 4-track to 8-track to the cubical octophonic 8-track on to the pyramidal 20-track set-up for the ELECTRONIC MUSIC with SOUND SCENES of FRIDAY from LIGHT. During rehearsals with interpreters both weeks they will learn how to position microphones for optimal pick-up of instruments and voices, and will be able to practice the sound projection also of works including interpreters. Finally they will learn how to create the proper environment for concentrated listening through lighting and aesthetic environment.

The course will be led by Stockhausen’s long-term sound projection assistant, Bryan Wolf, together with Stockhausen’s personal sound engineer Igor Kavulek and other sound projectionists experienced in projecting Stockhausen’s tape music and works with interpreters.

During the second weekof the courses (July 12th–20th)
9 concerts will take place, performed by faculty and participants.

Suzanne Stephens (clarinet, basset-horn and bass clarinet),

Kathinka Pasveer (flute, alto flute, piccolo),

Frank Gutschmidt and Benjamin Kobler (piano),

Marco Blaauw (trumpet),

Nicholas Isherwood (bass)

Stuart Gerber (percussion)
Percussion at he Courses (.pdf)

Antonio Pérez Abellán (synthesizer and piano),

Alain Louafi (gestures of INORI),

Participants in the master classes may perform in 3 additional concerts.

Richard Toop (musicologist) will again give 7 lectures with
musical examples (for all participants), in which he analyses
Stockhausen’s compositions MOMENTE, HIMMELS-TÜR and
COSMIC PULSES. Two collaborators of the Experimental
Studio for Acoustical Art, Freiburg, who assisted Stockhausen
in the spatialisation of COSMIC PULSES, will also give
2 seminars explaining the computer programming of the
OKTEG for the spatialisation of COSMIC PULSES.

The language spoken in all seminars is English.

Suzanne Stephens (clarinet, basset-horn, bass clarinet)
and
Kathinka Pasveer (flute, alto flute, piccolo)

will be teaching all Stockhausen works composed for their respective instruments.
A free work list for each of the instruments mentioned above may be ordered from the
Stockhausen-Verlag, 51515 Kürten, Germany.

Participants in the master classes for interpreters are encouraged to attend the first week to learn what is involved in performing Stockhausen’s works from the sound technical point of view (microphones, transmitters, quality of equipment, installation of equipment, etc.) and why it is essential to have a qualified sound projectionist at the controls of the mixer. Although the master classes officially begin on the 12th, lessons during the first week are available on request. It will also be possible to attend rehearsals during the first week in the Sülztalhalle. To encourage all participants to attend both weeks we are offering two weeks for the price of one.