TIZIANA BERTONCINI (Italy) and THOMAS LEHN (Germany) have been collaborating since 2002, in duo, in other ensemble, eg. the ensemble]h[iatus and in various multimedia projects. The special feature of the duo is the alchemy created by the meeting of the classical and the electronic instrument. The different nature of sound, the characteristics and histories of violin and analogue synthesizer could recall a friction. Actually, what happens is a sort of mirror game, in which the roles of the instruments are continuously exchanged. BERTONCINI and LEHN move in an abstract territory, their approach to sound is contemporary. Nevertheless their consideration to music is quite classical insofar as based principally on tension/release, rupture, intensity and expressivity in all its facets. Their first duo CD release was highly praised in numerous reviews.
The concert concludes with the duo joining THE OAKLAND REDUCTIONIST ORCHESTRA in an improvised set. A supergroup of local musicians with a predilection for lowercase/fricative/reductionist acoustic improvisation that often sounds more electronic than acoustic, this ensemble grows out of a rich tradition of "American reductionist" music that flourished in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Previous projects like Tom Djll's Grosse Abfahrt and The Jack Wright Large Ensemble Eight By Nine document the Bay Area's contribution to the genre.
PERFORMERS
Hallie Smith, violin
Danishta Rivero, voice
Cody Putman, bassoon
Lisa Mezzacappa, bass
Joshua Marshall, tenor saxophone
Kevin CK Lo, violin/flute/piano
Cheryl E. Leonard, natural-object instruments
John Ingle, saxophones
Matt Ingalls, clarinets
Ron Heglin, tuba
Diane Grubbe, flutes
Sarah Grace Graves, voice
Jacob Felix Heule, percussion
Tom Djll, trumpet
Kevin Corcoran, percussion
Chris Cooper, objects, electronics