Early Avant-garde films by Walter Ruttmann, Oskar Fischinger and Hans Richter

New film music by Bernd Thewes, Martin Smolka, Cornelius Schwehr, Cathy Milliken, Gunter Lege and Caspar Johannes Walter, performed by ensemble ascolta

The ZKM Institute for Music and Acoustics (IMA) continues to build on its international presence and partnerships outside its own doors. During new year, 2006, the good name of our co-operative partnership with film editors from ZDF/ARTE will be further developed and improved. In co-operation with ZKM/IMA, newly composed film music (some pieces of which were specially commissioned, and are therefore world premieres) was set to early avant-garde abstract film and will be shown at the ZKM-Kubus - the music being performed live by ensemble ascolta of Stuttgart.

Despite using techniques and material that would seem, from our point of view, rather outmoded and simple, the pioneers of film (represented in our current exhibition “Light Art from Artificial Light”), Ruttmann, Fischinger and Richter, were interested in setting medial synergies in motion: for instance Fischinger combines a film of the act of painting behind a pane of glass with music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Unexpected associations are also offered to the listener in the newly written compositions; the imaginative coupling of imagery and sound proves to stand on equal footing with the initial films themselves. The films scheduled for broadcast on ARTE, at the beginning of May, are those whose music was produced at ZKM.

Walter Ruttmann “Opus 1” (1921)
Music: Max Butting (1921)

Hans Richter “Rhythmus 21” (1921)
Music: Bernd Thewes (2005 - World Premiere)

Hans Richter “Vormittagsspuk”
(“ Late Morning Ghost”) (1928)
Music: Martin Smolka, Cornelius Schwehr (2004)

Hans Richter “Filmstudie” (1928)
Music: Cathy Milliken (2004)

Oskar Fischinger “Seelische Konstruktionen”
(“Constructions of the Soul”) (1927)
Music: Gunter Lege (2004)

Oskar Fischinger “Komposition im Blau”
(“Composition in Blue”) (1935)
Original Film music

Oskar Fischinger “Studie No. 7” (1930/31)
Original Film music

Oskar Fischinger “Wachsexperimente”
(“Experiments with Wax”) (1925-28)
Music: Caspar Johannes Walter (2004)

ensemble ascolta: Markus Schwind, Trumpet / Andrew Digby, Trombone / Erik Borgir, ‘Cello / Hubert Steiner, Guitar/Electric Guitar / Martin Hoffmann and Boris Muller, Percussion / Florian Hoelscher, Piano / Conductor, Titus Engel

Organization / Institution

ZKM

Partners

ZDF ; arte