In the 2nd of our 3-part free virtual choir series, Voices of Silicon Valley (VOSV) is proud to present our 1st broadcast of VOSV's performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen's masterpiece, "Stimmung," this Sunday at 5 p.m. PST on May 17, 2020.
You may see it here on
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6cNkIfKetqFXf0hE35Mtw
Our Facebook group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/voices.sv/
In 2017, VOSV, in collaboration with Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), became the 1st music group in 30 years in the West Coast and San Francisco Bay Area to perform "Stimmung." Later that year, radio station KDFC named VOSV one of the "8 music groups that are changing Bay Area."
On the anniversary of Armistice Day in November 2018, VOSV performed "Stimmung" once again, this time at the San Francisco Conservatory. The expressive visuals, prepared by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Technology and Applied Composition program (TAC), was considered an evolution to its interpretation.
The message in "Stimmung" appeals ubiquitously, calling for inclusion, peace and unity, creating relevancy as it debuted in 1968, and reverberating that message in our present day. Its use of vowel overtones, vowel squares and feedback loops transcend western influence from its Germanic origins, as exhibited in the periodic phrases that encompass religion and time; its deliverance requiring a degree of freedom, independently assessed by the singers and director to portray the rhythmic chant innate throughout the movement. On November 13, 2018, San Francisco Classical Voice's review mentioned: "[VOSV] met this challenge brilliantly by walking that tightrope that Stockhausen strung for them..."
From Cyril Deaconoff, VOSV's director: "We owe a true debt of gratitude to members of Collegium Vocale Koeln Hans-Alderich Billig and Helga Hamm-Albrecht, and members of the former Stockhausen group who coached us for these performances. We would love it if you spread the word of our performance to those who are interested in 'Stimmung:' your readers, listeners and viewers. If you like our content, please join our Facebook page or subscribe to our YouTube channel. We hope that you enjoy our performance!"
Excerpts from VOSV's 2017 performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TZlzARDtE