Berlin PianoPercussion
Ensemble Berlin Piano Percussion
© Kai Bienert
Past Dates
It is its unusual members that are the Berlin PianoPercussion ensemble’s contribution to the special contours of Berlin’s musical landscape. Given the numerous compositions for drummers and prepared or “percussive” piano over the course of the 20th century, the idea of an ensemble made up of two pianists and three drummers seemed long overdue. On its foundation, the Berlin PianoPercussion ensemble referred to Béla Bartók’s “Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion” from 1937 and Bartók’s explicit equal treatment of the drums and piano parts.
It is not surprising that several compositions have already been written for the newly founded ensemble within only a few years, as the ensemble offers many composers the opportunity to experiment with a wealth of percussive impulses and sonorous tonalities together with the interpreters.
At MaerzMusik, the ensemble will present several of the their current works from their constantly expanding repertoire: Georg Katzer’s “Exkurs über die Mechanik” (2009), the world premieres of Oliver Schneller’s revised composition “Cyan”, Charlotte Seither’s “Running Circles”, Hugues Dufourt’s “L’Éclair d’après Rimbaud” and Arthur Kampela’s “Das Tripas Coração”.
Georg Katzer
Exkurs über die Mechanik (2009)
Commissioned by Berlin PianoPercussion
funded by the Land Berlin / Ensembleförderung Neue Musik
Charlotte Seither
Running Circles (2011) WP
Commissioned by Berlin PianoPercussion
funded by the Land Berlin / Ensembleförderung Neue Musik
Arthur Kampela
Das Tripas Coração (2013) WP
Commissioned by Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD and Berliner Festspiele / MaerzMusik
Oliver Schneller
Cyan (2011/2013) WP of the revised version
Commissioned by Berlin PianoPercussion, funded by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung
Hugues Dufourt
L’éclair d’après Rimbaud (2013) WP
Commissioned by Berlin PianoPercussion, funded by Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung and Deutsch-Französischer Fonds für zeitgenössische Musik / Impuls neue Musik
Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion:
Ya-ou Xie: conductor / piano
Prodromos Symeonidis / Sawami Kiyoshi, piano
Matthias Buchheim / Adam Weisman / Martin Lorenz, percussion