Rainforest IV

Teilnehmer:innen der Darmstädter Ferienkurse
Participants of the Darmstadt Summer Course

Matt Rogalsky & hans w. koch (Musikalische Leitung / Musical Direction)
Carsten Seiffarth (Kurator / Curator)
Markus Steffens (Koordination / Coordination)
Eckehard Güther (Technische Leitung / Technical Direction)

Between 1968 and 1973, David Tudor created a series of pieces entitled Rainforest. Originally commissioned by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for the performance under the same heading, the piece developed further in differing forms, including as a performative spatial installation. The basic idea behind all versions is that of an ensemble of sounding objects, played by transducers. The specific resonance characteristics of each object alter the played sounds. The actual object is both a filter and a sound generator. Most of the objects used are simple found objects.

While in the beginning relatively small objects were seen on stage as part of the performances with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (Rainforest I-III), in a workshop at the New Music in New Hampshire Festival 1973, Tudor also used large objects, arranged in the form of a walk-in environment for Rainforest IV. This version's realization involved a group of young musicians and artists for the first time, who not only selected and installed the objects but also played them live in a performance lasting several hours. Rainforest IV thus became an open and flexible, but simultaneously highly sophisticated platform for the collective composition of (live) electronic music.

The score consists solely of a sketch of a circuit and the simple instruction that previously composed music may not be used.

At the Summer Course 2025, Rainforest IV will be realized as part of a workshop and performed live by the participants on three days. The process is guided by the Canadian composer Matt Rogalsky, who was able to work with Tudor himself, and the Cologne composer and sound artist hans w. koch.

Note:
On July 21, international experts will speak at a one-day conference about David Tudor's groundbreaking works and, of course, his Rainforest series.

Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation