Sound and Music

notes inégales – which refers to the ‘swung’ notes in French baroque music – brings together top new music players who were devoted to improvisation as well as written music, and to devising new work alongside composers and other artists as well as playing contemporary repertoire.The ensemble is known for the vivacity of its performances, its sheer liveness and unpredictability, and for an impressive range that can go from tight and funky to chaotic and wild.

Shuffle I: notes inégales
Hall Two, 2.30pm, Sunday 6 September

Six Sound and Music shortlist composers have submitted musical ‘postcards’ around the theme of ‘shuffle’ or ‘swing’. Some are score-based, some are audio files. These will be fed in to notes inégales’ improvisation, directed by signals from Peter Wiegold to create a spontaneous performance. Composers and composer/performers may join the improvisation. The performance will start with soloists from notes inégales (Torbjorn Hultmark, trumpet/electronics, Melinda Maxwell, oboe, Martin Butler, piano, Christophe Fellay, percussion) building back to the full group.
Click here to book online.

Shuffle II: notes inégales perform Christian Marclay’s Shuffle
Hall Two, 3.45pm, Sunday 6 September
Artist Christian Marclay photographed the appearance of musical notation in everyday places – finding examples on shop awnings, chocolate tins, T-shirts, underwear and other unexpected places. He then presented the 75 images in a box of oversized playing cards, creating a chance-based visual experience that is also the basis for a spontaneous musical score.
Click here to book online.

notes inégales: Earth & Stars
Hall Two, 3.45pm, Sunday 6 September
Earth and Stars (UK premiere)
Peter Wiegold’s Earth and Stars was inspired by a poem written by Mozart, Here Rests a Dear Fool, and was commissioned by ensemble xxj Vienna for Mozart’s 250th anniversary and performed by them in 2006. The piece is a requiem for Mozart, and the composer has also built in musical echoes of fin-desiècle Vienna. Performed by an unusual ensemble – piccolo, cor anglais, contra bassoon, viola, double bass, piano, percussion and four harmonicas – the piece consists of a series of funeral marches, often with keening solos. The music is dark, earthy and a little incomplete, sounding like some archaic funeral band that has been dug up from the soil, and no one can quite remember how to play the instruments or the music!
Click here to book online.