AUSSEN IV: quotidien, quotidienne (Ambitus Extended, 29.11.2016) by Hannes Dufek

AUSSEN IV for string quintet, piano and various objects is the fourth piece in the ongoing series of "AUSSEN" / OUTSIDE-pieces (the first and second one can also be found here).

The pieces in this series share a common poetics that hopes to loosen or diminish the existing borders between the spheres of "art" and "life", meaning between all things poetic and beautiful and all things profane, between some things we accept and wish for in art and others that are not given this privilege. The pieces all aim for a superstructure of music as an art-form - music as a form of life, as an expression of life.

Aside from different choices in terms of sound-sources or playing-techniques, this also leads to changes in approach to the score, to composition and to art and life in general. Life, after all, is not a form to be fulfilled, it is not a predesigned track to follow and it is not intricately designed structures or a set of cogwheels. Life is time flowing. It is growing, ageing, dying, and there is no room for egotism and self-centeredness.

Thus, this music is born out of a somewhat joint effort, the score is delivered in fragments and full of choices, the actual sounding "piece" is the result of my choices, the performer's choices and, finally, your listening. This is one version, there are thousands other possible versions, all under that same name, AUSSEN IV.

Thank you very much for a marvelous performance to Ambitus extended (https://www.facebook.com/ambitus.extended), as were

Silvia Kanicki - violin I
Johanna Lacroix - violin II
Lena Fankhauser-Campregher - viola
Jörg Ulrich Krah - violoncello
Maximilian Oelz - double bass
Kaori Nishii - piano

Thanks also to Julian Siffert for recording this!