Music for a Concrete Structure (III)

Arne Gieshoff: music for a concrete structure (2024/25)

Uraufführung / World Premiere

Sarah Saviet (Violine / Violin)
Paul Hübner (Trompete / Trumpet)
Trio Catch

Arne Gieshoff once compared his work to that of an archaeologist: with and within his music,  he wants to unearth and question layers of time and meaning, thus making them collectively accessible. Found footage, special spaces, or material from archives have a particular appeal for the composer, who lives and works in Darmstadt. Consequently, in recent years Gieshoff’s work has increasingly moved away from the classical concert hall to places with their own character and life, which flows conceptually and sometimes very tangibly into the new compositions. Under the title music for a concrete structure, Gieshoff is developing a site-sensitive piece for the Darmstadt Summer Course for one of four Darmstadt high-rise bunkers of the Winkel type, mushroom-shaped towers featuring an interior spiral staircase for the protection of around 500 people. These structures were built shortly before the beginning of WW2 and today serve as memorials. In a process lasting several years, Gieshoff familiarised himself with the bunker complex, researched its eventful usage history, and embarked on archaeological sound expeditions into the space. Together with other musicans, he now activates these in a live installation.

Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation