Entsagung (1993) - for ensemble and live-electronics by Karlheinz Essl

A composition for flute, bass clarinet, prepared piano, percussions and live-electronics, commissioned by IRCAM (Paris) and performed by Klangforum Wien (Dir. Gerd Kühr).

Two worlds bounce off each other in this piece: an onstage four-piece instrumental ensemble is confronted by four loudspeakers positioned in space. Each of these two domains forms its own cosmos, and, during the course of the piece, shapes its own individual appearance.

From a highly amorphous beginning of whispering and stammering which is solely carried by the instruments, something resembling a "language" develops gradually. Slowly, a process of communication between the four instrumentalists begins. The entry of the other world (that of the loudspeaker-sounds) occurs unnoticeably: initially certain instrumental sounds are projected into the space as artificial resonances of the room and thus the initial rigid spatial restrain is destroyed.

Little by little the musical happening of the loudspeakers' world begins to differentiate itself. Out of mere commentaries about the instruments' search for language, independent musical forms slowly begin to develop. The instruments, which seem to have finally found their own language and begin to converse in it eloquently, are pushed more and more into the background by the sounds of the loudspeaker. The discourse loses its flow, becomes jolted and choppy. The instrumentalists finally refuse and eventually, denounce themselves completely. As the loudspeaker-world continues towards a fulminating alla marcia, it collapses by its own accord and transforms into the beginning of the piece: a multi-voiced whisper, that finally becomes silent.

This piece was realized 1992/93 at IRCAM with the assistance of Serge Lemouton through the resources of the IRCAM Musical Workstation and Karlheinz Essl's XLOGO/COMPOSE-Environment for computer-aided composition.

Info: http://www.essl.at/works/entsagung.html