Multiple Voice
BL!NDMAN presents a personal interpretation of polyphonic music from the 12-16th century. Starting from the experience of pure sound, the quartet rediscovers some brilliant pieces in this inexhaustible source of masterpieces. The major canons of Johannes Ockeghem and Josquin Des Prez undergo an exciting metamorphosis thanks to the specific sound spectrum of the saxophone and electronic spatialisation. The musicians make use of real-time recording to gradually multiply their parts, until the full range of voices can be heard.
These early compositions are brought face to face with contemporary pieces. Contemporary works have always reflected age-old compositional techniques; the organum technique used by Leoninus and Perotinus, in which the continuous voices develop in parallel, the 13th-century hoquetus technique in which the melody line is divided between several instruments, and also the imitation canon repeating themselves several times. Palindrome (Thierry De Mey, 1984) is a pure hoquetus piece, while Ricercare una melodia (Jonathan Harvey, 1987) evolves from an identical canon to a canon by augmentation. Organum (Eric Sleichim, 1992) refers to Leoninus’ and Perotinus’ Notre-Dame school.
New music is played alongside early music and the two merge apparently seamlessly into one another. Centuries are made relative, and the consciousness of historical times fades.
Eric Sleichim: artistic direction, concept, transcriptions and arrangements
BL!NDMAN [sax]
Pieter Pellens: soprano saxophone
Hendrik Pellens: alto saxophone
Piet Rebel: tenor saxophone
Sebastiaan Cooman: baritone saxophone
Multiple Voice is a BL!NDMAN production, coproduced by Brugge 2002 Cultural Capital of Europe and Kaaitheater
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Programme
Leoninus: Viderunt Omnes (deel I)
Perotinus: Viderunt Omnes (deel I)
Eric Sleichim: Organum
Anonymus: III codex Bamberg, Motetten CII & CIII
Johannes Ciconia: Le ray au soleyl
Thierry De Mey: Palindrome (8 stemmen)
Johannes Ockeghem: Deo Gratias (36 stemmen)
Jean Mouton: Salve, Mater Salvatoris
Pierre de la Rue: Myn hert altyt heeft verlanghen
Dominique Phinot: Adieu Loyse
Jonathan Harvey: Ricercare una melodia (sopraansolo + delay)
Josquin Des Prez: La Déploration de Johannes Ockeghem (Nimphes des bois)
Josquin Des Prez: Qui Habitat
Press
‘One could hear an Ockeghem and a Josquin sounding as metropolitan as Harvey’s music. Due to the specific sound spectrum of the saxophones, Josquin’s moving’ Déploration de Joannes Ockeghem’ almost sounded like genuine blues’ – Jan Vandenhouwe – De Standaard, March 2002
Agenda