SYNERGY PERCUSSION ACKNOWLEDGES THE BIDJIGAL, GADIGAL, DHARAWAL AND DHARUG PEOPLES, THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF THE LAND ON WHICH THIS EVENT IS TAKING PLACE.
WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TO ELDERS PAST AND PRESENT, RECOGNISING THE ENDURING TRADITIONS OF FIRST NATIONS PEOPLES WHO HAVE BEEN STORYTELLERS, MUSICIANS, AND COMMUNITY BUILDERS FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
PERFORMED BY FRITZ HAUSER
PERFORMERS: FRITZ HAUSER
SYNERGY PERCUSSION:
REBECCA LLOYD-JONES, IAN CLEWORTH, JOSHUA HILL, ALISON PRATT
SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM YOUNG ARTISTS:
ROSIE BENNETT, ANNEKE BRAHE, SHU-HSUAN WANG
Timestretch was commissioned by the Basel-based ensemble KlangLab, that has a varied set-up for every commission they do. In this case, there were 3 percussionists, and 5 instrumentalists like violin, flute, saxophone, guitar, electronics.
Now the initial idea for Timestretch came to me when shooting a short video of a hardboiled egg turning on a plate. As the egg slowed down, the shape seemed to change constantly from oval to round, giving the impression, that space shifted.
For the opening part of the piece I proposed a very long rallentando, meaning starting fast, and slowing down bit by bit. Each player uses 6 sounding objects from small cymbals to let’s say plastic container. For an ensemble of 8 players that results in almost 50 diferent sounds, being played fast in the beginning, continuously, and NOT in unison. A flirring (flurry) world of sounds, slowly turning into a mobile, then into a slow motion Cage-like sound installation.
The second part will feature all kinds of percussion instruments that are all played with no attack at all. Dwelling sounds melt into each other, dissolving space and time for the listener.
The third part is called SURPRISE, and that‘s exactly what it is. Come hear the concert, and you will be surprised!
I am looking forward to realising the Synergy version here in Sydney!
I recommend to close the eyes for at least part of the concert. Percussion music can instigate amazing images, when you refrain from watching people hitting on things. Just let your fantasy go free!
Happy listening! Fritz Hauser
I first met and worked with Fritz over a decade ago as an undergraduate student. His philosophy on music and listening was unlike anything I had encountered before, but what intrigued me most was his unwavering discipline to his art—his commitment to every sound he would make and the precise intention behind every action he took.
Over the past few weeks, Synergy and I have had the privilege of reconnecting with Fritz in Perth, during the BOOM! International Festival of Percussion. For BOOM!, we had the pleasure of working on Fritz’s quartet music with him, alongside his long-term collaborator and friend Boa Bauman. We were also fortunate to take part in the Australian premiere of his 16-piece percussion ensemble work, Point Line Area Time. Tonight's performance, TIMESTRETCH, draws on compositional fragments from Point Line Area Time, with its sonic themes intricately woven throughout the hour-long experience you're about to witness! TIMESTRETCH will not only disorient your sense of time and place but also captivate you, drawing you into the energy of every sound and the movement of every body on stage.
As artistic director, it’s a pleasure to invite Sydney Conservatorium students Rozie, Susan, and Anneke to collaborate with Fritz and Synergy on this important project, fostering the creativity of a new generation of artists. As Synergy closes out our 2024 season, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Percussion Australia, Create NSW, our donors, and our dedicated supporters for their invaluable contributions. We look forward to making more music for you in 2025!
- Rebecca Lloyd-Jones Artistic Director, Synergy Percussion
FRITZ HAUSER born in Basel in 1953, has developed solo works for drums and percussion, compositions for percussion ensembles, solo percussionists, orchestra and vocal ensembles, as well as sound systems, radio plays, film soundtracks and music for readings. His work is interdisciplinary: he works with lighting specialists, stage directors, architects and choreographers. In the field of percussion he works around the world with the principal soloists and percussion ensembles, such as Kroumata, Steven Schick, Keiko Abe and Nexus. He has recorded numerous CDs as a soloist and with a variety of ensembles. In 2012 Fritz Hauser won the City of Basel Prize for Culture and in 1996 the Canton of Basel-Country Prize for Music. During the summer of 2018 Hauser was composer-in-residence at the Lucerne Festival.
SYNERGY PERCUSSION is a pioneering Australian percussion ensemble pushing the boundaries of contemporary music for 50 years. Founded in 1974 by Michael Askill and now led by artistic director Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, Synergy has collaborated with a wide range of renowned artists, including Iannis Xenakis, Toru Takemitsu, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Kroumata, Amadinda, Evelyn Glennie, Steve Reich, Sydney Dance Company, as well as the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, among many others.
Synergy’s extensive musical expertise has allowed them to create a unique oeuvre, having released on labels such as Tall Poppies, Celestial Harmonies, Vox Australis, and Move Records. They have commissioned over fifty works from renowned Australian composers such as Liza Lim, Melody Eötvös, Anthony Pateras, William Barton, Kate Moore, Elena Kats-Chernin, Ross Edwardes, Peter Sculthorpe, Gerard Brophy, and premiered Nigel Westlake’s iconic 1984 quartet, Omphalo Centric Lecture. With their expansive and innovative vision and unyielding commitment to their craft, Synergy Percussion has established themselves as one of the most influential and ground-breaking percussion ensembles in the international contemporary music community.
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Percussion Australia Ltd:
Board:
Ann Hoban (Chair)
Ian Cleworth
Jeremy Wright
Natalie Musico
Alison Dunn
Chris Adams
Percussion Australia Staf:
Ian Cleworth (Percussion Australia, Artistic Director)
Lee Mciver (General Manager | Producer)
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones (Synergy Percussion, Artistic Director)
Leigh Richardson (Finance Oficer)
Timothy Hansen (Program Manager)
Silvana Imperatori (Community Engagement Manager)
Haruka Kunimune (Community Engagement Coordinator)
Percussion Australia, Fritz Hauser and Synergy Percussion would like to thank the following organisations and partners who have made TIMESTRETCH possible:
