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wartburg
emile parisen
michael wollny trio live ACT 9862-2
wartburg
bonus track:
11 make a wish (michael wollny) 5:10
die euphorie von siggi - noch in der nacht des konzerts schickt er uns fotos („a night
to remember“) - überträgt sich auf uns, als wir ein paar wochen später die aufnahmen
hören. während ich noch im kopf die takes sortiere, legt er bei einem gemeinsamen
mittagessen ende september alle bisherige pläne und überlegungen zu konzept,
coverbild und albumtitel beiseite und sagt: „eigentlich wäre das einzig konsequente,
jetzt zwei alben zu machen. oslo und wartburg. zeitgleich.“ (mich erinnert das in
diesem moment an manche situationen auf der bühne, etwa wenn das norwegian
wind ensemble in der ut connewitz in leipzig plötzlich aufhört zu spielen und anfängt
zu singen, oder wenn das trio beim love supreme festival auf die bühne geht und
statt des ersten stücks der setlist erstmal minutenlange klangkaskaden aus-spuckt,
ohne auch nur ans einzählen zu denken.)
vielleicht liegen in diesen momenten die wahren gründe dafür, daß wir nun schon
seit so langer zeit gemeinsam musik veröffentlichen. man sucht, verwirft, verzweifelt
und findet. man hört zu und hört plötzlich nicht mehr das gleiche. das gemeinsame
gibt kraft, nervt und verändert sich ständig. das unterschiedliche belebt, tröstet
und verbindet.
michael wollny
oslo & wartburg these externalities have an effect on the musical performance. things can succeed,
fail, overwhelm, or stay in motion. you learn to be flexible as a team, to strike a
when geir lysne first told me in 2015 about his work with the norwegian wind ensem- balance, to take into account interests and sensitivities, and to accept that every-
ble, i hadn’t fully understood. he said that this world-class classical wind orchestra thing has a long-term impact on one's own work. by the time we finish an intensive
had been experimenting with improvisation and would be interested in making three days of rehearsals in the spring, 27 new pieces have found their way into our
contact. i found the idea interesting, so eric schaefer and i took up the opportunity, repertoire.
with music for the silent film “nosferatu” as the basis for our musical encounter.
then there is emile parisien. we first met each other many years ago in seoul, where
it was not until we arrived a few months later for the initial rehearsal in halden in we were members of different bands playing the jarasum festival, and we first played
norway, and played the first notes, that we became aware of the true sense of what together at the invitation of vincent peirani in his “thrill box” project. chance
geir had said: this orchestra really does improvise. we played freely, and the orches- intervened, and at the end of 2016 we played a completely unrehearsed duo concert
tra played along with us. this wasn’t 22 individual musicians playing ad libitum, it at schloss elmau. that was after having a concert the previous summer in the south
was more like a single extra player - who happened to consist of 22 people. whole of france with emile’s band cancelled because of bad weather. in addition, that elmau
movements came into being spontaneously, subgroups of players found each other concert presented the opportunity for me to invite emile to our concert at the wart-
without pre-arrangement, with just the occasional hand signal to indicate a change burg. it’s that sound of his on soprano sax. it must – or at least that’s how i imagine
of key. we were pretty amazed. this rehearsal initiated an intensive series of exchan- it – somehow rearrange the molecules in the air, making impossible speeds achie-
ges which went on for two years. eric, christian weber and i did several concerts and vable, making virtuoso playing lyrical, and giving a total flexibility to tempi.
projects with the ensemble, and we also started to form the vague wish in our minds
to present this work in the context of some future album. and then there is siggi loch. if one subscribes to the theory that the patient observer
will always have an influence on the object he observes, then it is impossible to
our work with the orchestra made us repeatedly and impressively aware of something overstate the role he has had in the development of the trio. since 2004 he has been
which is perhaps self-evident: that in collective improvisation, the moment really is our most loyal and consistent, and therefore our most important listener. at the
all that matters. one can plan, but only up to a point. preparation is necessary, but beginning of the year he starts his work on the new album, offering me a couple of
in the end is not the decisive element. and to a certain extent the same can also be keywords which he could imagine as a concept. following this initial meeting, one
said of the way an album comes into being. planning a session means preparing as of the keywords stays in my mind and inspires me to write the first song within a few
well as possible for a situation – which can then turn out completely differently. at days. initially he sets his stall against the idea of inviting the ensemble into the
the beginning of 2017 we put all the constituent parts of this experiment into place, studio, but after witnessing a “nosferatu” performance he becomes excited by the
and watched how the balls started to roll. in september that all culminated in two prospect of what such an experiment might produce. it does take quite some nerve
places where many things that we had hoped for became a reality…and also where to book studio sessions with a classical orchestra where all there is going to be avai-
quite a lot happened that nobody was expecting: oslo and wartburg. lable in the run-up to the recording is a few small notes and sketches but no orchestral
score. honestly, i would encourage anyone who intends to conduct a study on
let’s talk about the trio. after the “nachtfahrten” album in 2015 we played countless “communication strategies to minimize the risk of the unpredictable” to study the
concerts in settings which ranged from clubs to the open air, from philharmonies to correspondence between siggi, geir and me from 2017. (and for those who are keen
rock festivals. what emerged from that was a confidence in our process of dealing to know more detail: in “make a wish” the orchestra played from the piano part, be-
with all kinds of circumstances yet staying focused on the music. whereas in the cause we originally wanted to record it with just the trio; geir gave us a rough outline
studio we can work on new chapters under almost clinical conditions, in the live for “longnote” through headphones just before we recorded it; my entire “score” for
situation far fewer things are constant. the acoustics, the instruments, the spaces “whiteness of the whale” consisted of 12 notes and 10 chords.)
are different (to say nothing of e.g. friendly promoters, taciturn taxi drivers, hectic
journeys, sleep deprivation, bad food, good food...and great coffee). almost all of also in other respects, the preparation time is characterized by exciting contrasts; we
rehearse with a greater love of detail than ever before, we record, listen and discuss; also available:
siggi asks himself (and me) some pretty basic questions from time to time (i don’t
think he’s ever quite got over his unease at hearing our first demos). this is a process michael wollny trio
which ends with the trio coming up with even more tunes and ideas. in halden we oslo
rehearse pieces with the norwegians that we still haven't performed to this day. norwegian wind ensemble
ACT 9863-2 cd / ACT 9863-1 vinyl
in september, the two most influential observers will be the two sound engineers –
jan erik kongshaug at the rainbow studio oslo, and adrian von ripka at the wartburg 01 make a wish
in eisenach. they make an interesting juxtaposition: one is a legend in a legendary 02 hello dave
place, the other a grandmaster and - yes - friend of the trio, who has no more than 03 farbenlehre
60 minutes before the concert at the wartburg to install microphones in the rittersaal 04 piano trio op. 120, andantino
and to listen to a soundcheck that is almost impossible to do. he has to imagine the 05 zweidrei
dynamics, colours, intensities and interaction which will take place in the set which 06 interludium
follows. it’s also the first time the trio has ever met emile together. i’ve sent him my 07 roses are black
arrangement of “white blues” by email to paris the day before. through lack of time 08 longnote
we can only discuss “tektonik” backstage rather than actually playing it through. 09 nuits blanches
10 perpetuum mobile
siggi’s euphoria – he’s already sent us photos (“a night to remember”) during the 11 cantus arcticus
night immediately after the concert – affects us as well once we listen to the recor- 12 there again
dings a few weeks later. while i’m still sifting the takes in my mind, siggi and i have 13 the whiteness of the whale
a lunch together at the end of september, and he shelves everything: all previous
plans, concepts, cover picture, even the album title. he says: “actually, there is only michael wollny / piano
one sensible thing to do, to make two albums. oslo and wartburg. at the same time.” christian weber / double bass
(this reminds me of other situations on stage, for example when the norwegian wind eric schaefer / drums
ensemble at ut connewitz in leipzig suddenly stops playing and starts singing, or
when the trio goes on stage at the love supreme festival, and instead of playing the norwegian wind ensemble
first piece of the setlist we unleash several minutes of cascades of sound before we geir lysne / curator (real time music)
even think about counting it in.)
perhaps it is in such moments that the true reasons emerge why we want to put our
music out before the public, and have been doing so for such a long time. one
searches, discards, despairs – and then finds. one listens and suddenly isn’t hearing
the same thing any more. things achieved together give strength, but also irritate –
and are constantly evolving. things which are different invigorate, comfort – and also
connect.
michael wollny
translated by sebastian scotney