Composition and show for the Arcane wind quintet, DJ Soy and Emmanuelle Somer
On April 20th 2001
in the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Charleroi was performed the world premiere of a
unique composition in music history, due to its style, orchestration, and
improvisation parts.
Counseled by the contemporary oboist Piet van Bockstal in
his research for a composer able to create such a unique and open minded
artwork, Pierre Hemptinne, director of the mÈdiathËque de Charleroi and patron
of actual musics, commissioned Emmanuelle Somer for this composition for the
wind quintet Arcane, the Algerian Kabyle Berber DJ Soy and herself. Indeed the
style, if you can name it, had to be ´ techno-raÔ-classico-contemporary
with jazz and world elements and collective improvisations ª. The
composition is about 45 minutes long.
Not only the composer but the musicians as well had to be
chosen with delicacy : classical musicians and DJís approaches to music
are diametrically opposed : the former, used to institutionalized system,
request parts, having a deepened knowledge in melody and harmony, while the
latter, usually autodidact, have their foundations on rhythm. The Arcane
members and DJ Soy accepted the challenge with enthusiasm.
The concert starts with a scouring montage, a real
autobiography of Emmanuelleís musical influences, mixing the voices of John
Zorn, Bill Frisell, Joey Baron, Uri Caine, Heinz Holliger, Penderecki, Igor
Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen, Milton Nascimento, Frank Zappa, Yes, Rush, Naked
City, Trilok Gurtu (damn! I forgot John Coltrane ! nftc).
Then the Arcane wind quintet and DJ Soy play games together, Emmanuelle
taking part in these ´ fights ª with her 6 instruments and having
created and mounted a sonorous support interfering here and there: written parts
with intense counterpoint, freer spots where each musician ready to improvise
finds his place. Intimate and acoustic moments, dense and sonorous momentums,
raves rich in colours, rhythmic parts inviting to dance and trance, solos
requiring swing and jazzistic phrasing, oriental and urban winks and grooves,
sound experimentations and modulations alternate under the pricked up eyes and
ears of an astonished audience. It was expecting anything, but not that !
The atmosphere created by such a music lasted long
after the concert was over, like a cotton cloud, giving a sensation of time
suspension, humility, perplexity, almost hilarity.
The Belgian minister of culture himself honored this premiere by his presence, immediately
inviting the whole ensemble to perform the composition again at the Egmont
Palace in† Brussels in the September
2001 European Conference for the Culture.
The group is available on request. For all complementary
information and the booking of ´ Overtures ª, please contact
Emmanuelle Somer, or Piet van Bockstal (piet.van.bockstal@skynet.be,
tÈl/fax 00 32 3 233 93 90)
__________________
Francis Poskin : flute
Piet Van Bockstal : oboe
Paul Everaert : bassoon
Arcane wind quintet
turned long time ago away from the beaten track of the traditional repertoire
written for the setting: the group chooses a new topic for every cultural
season. They worked during the last few years on impressionism, American
composers, or the transcription of unpublished works, as witnessed by their CD
ìBlendedî. More recently, Arcane recorded ´ Scarlet ª, a selection of
totally unknown, some even unpublished, wind quintets.
After 20 years of
existence, Arcane has definitely proved its maturity and cohesion and is very much
appreciated and respected on the Belgian chamber music scene.
Thanks to its
reputation, countless festivals (Festival
de líEtÈ Mosan, Flanders Festival, Festival de Wallonie, as well as other ones
in India, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Brasil) invited Arcane to be
part of their programmation.
Francis Poskin : fl˚te
Francis Poskin a remportÈ
les premiers prix de fl˚te (M.LefËbvre ) et de musique de chambre (Arie van
Lysebeth) au Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, ainsi que le diplÙme de GenËve
avec Maxence Larrieu. Il suivit Ègalement
des masterclasses avec Michel Debost, Andras Adorjan, Alain MarrionÖ Depuis
1983, il est fl˚tiste solo de líOpÈra de Flandres. Ne se contentant pas de
cette position, Francis est rÈguliËrement invitÈ ‡ se produire avec I
Fiamminghi, líOrchestre de Chambre de Wallonie , le Hamburger SymphonikerÖ Il
est membre actif du quintette Arcane, du quintette ‡ Harps Horta et de
líensemble Paul Collaer.
Piet
Van Bockstal : hautbois
Piet
van Bockstal obtient les premiers prix de cor anglais et musique de chambre et
le diplÙme supÈrieur de hautbois avec grande distinction au Conservatoire Royal
de Bruxelles, puis se spÈcialise en Grande Bretagne et en Allemagne, suivant
nombreuses masterclasses.
DËs
1985 il devient premier hautbois solo ‡ líOrchestre Royal Philharmonique de
Flandres. Il remporte Ègalement nombreux concours et prix internationaux.
Piet
Van Bockstal a ‡ ce jour donnÈ plus de 40 concertos pour hautbois en concert
avec des orchestres du monde entier (Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre
Philharmonique de la Radio, I Fiamminghi, Orchestre du Brabant, Orchestre Royal
Philharmonique de Flandres, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Nuove Musiche,...).
Non
satisfait de sa carriËre de soliste et de musicien díorchestre, Piet est le
fondateur de plusieurs groupes de musique de chambre et líinitiateur
díinnombrables projets contemporains, avec les pianistes Katrijn Friant et
Yutaka Oya , le guitariste Yves Storms, Arcane, I Solisti da Camera et surtout
Ictus et Spectra, avec líaide desquels il crÈe non moins de 60 úuvres
contemporaines.
Janvier 2001 lía vu devenir
le manager artistique de líorchestre baroque Il Fondamento.
Philippe
Saucez : clarinette
NÈ en 1953, Philippe Saucez
tient une place particuliËre dans la communitÈ musicale belge: enseignant en
analyse numÈrique ‡ líuniversitÈ le jour, il consacre le reste de son temps en
tant que clarinettiste dans plusieurs ensembles de musique de chambre. Il
obtint les diplÙmes supÈrieurs de clarinette et musique de chambre au
Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Mons.
LaurÈat du Prix du Hainaut,
Philippe participe Ègalement activement aux scËnes díimprovisation libre et de
musique contemporaine, se produisant en Belgique, France, Allemagne, Autriche,
Bulgarie, Roumanie, BrÈsil, enregistrant une douzaine de CDís.
Christophe FÈron : cor
Paul Everaert : basson
Paul
Everaert a ÈtudiÈ aux conservatoires de Bruxelles, Anvers et Amsterdam,
remportant plusieurs prix et diplÙmes en basson, musique de chambre et thÈorie
musicale.
ParallËlement ‡ des concerts
en orchestres et en musique de chambre, Paul est enseignant dans plusieurs
acadÈmies et Ècoles et organisateur aux Jeunesses Musicales.
DJ Soy : bio
Necessary
material for the realization of such a concert:
Stage of minimum 6m
over 8 with adequate lighting
Good natural acoustic
6 music stands
7 stools
10 mics of excellent
quality
3 monitors and at
least 2 powerful speakers
1 CD player
1 mixing board
1 2-tracks mixing
board and 2 turntables (left handed)
1 rack of effects
1 sound ingenieer
1 glass of water
1 dressing room
1 safe space for the
instruments and their cases
7 balanced hot meals
(one vegetarian) before the concert
Price and conditions
to negotiate depending on the circumstances.