Music-literature for the instrumental combination bassoon and saxophone has been rarely available until now, although this connection offers great potential for combination possibilities and sound contrasts. In the concert by Sascha Armbruster and Johannes Schwarz, new sound columns and spheres will be discovered through the use of electronics: for one, sound expansions and timbre fusions – also between the two instruments – are possible, and for another, the electronic expansions are contrasted by a clear focus on the pure instrumental sound. This compositional play is additionally enhanced in Alfred Zimmerlin’s work by snatches of words on the playback tape, while Sascha Dragicevic turns exclusively to original and alienated sounds of the two instrumentalists to enhance the sound of his electronic work. Available to the composers as a source is the exceptional sound archive “conTimbre” with 25,000 bassoon sound files. The room is also played heterogeneously via multi-channel electronics and the interpreters’ changing positions within the space.

Alfred Zimmerlin New work for saxophone, bassoon, and live electronics with playback sounds
Steingrimur Rohloff New work for saxophone, contra bassoon, and live electronics
Gary Berger New work for saxophone, contra bassoon, and live electronics (premiere) as well as “Soundspaces,” interim works for saxophone and bassoon
Sascha Dragicevic New work for saxophone, contra bassoon, and live electronics

Sascha Armbruster Saxophone
Johannes Schwarz (member of the Ensemble Modern) bassoon

Organization / Institution

ZKM