Frankfurt Lab

The percussion class of HfMDK Frankfurt creates in the series „Listen! Percussion“ concerts, which allow you to experience percussion as an interplay of instruments from all over the world, body, space and new media. The 10th concert will present contributions from the students, both solo and in larger ensemble formations, sometimes with additional performances, and with many drums, various sound objects and extremely diverse aesthetic directions.

PROGRAMME

Steffen Krebber: “Sprechende Ohren”

Through a blend of drum solos, wordplay, and performative scenes, “Sprechende Ohren” [Speaking Ears] explores the transitions between sound, gesture, and articulation. Krebber, himself a drummer and composer, conceives of the instrument not only as a source of sound but also as a physical and theatrical counterpart.

With: Stefan Kribs

Philippe Manoury: “Le Livre des Claviers: Satz VI. Sixxen”

Philippe Manoury is one of the defining voices of the French new music scene. In “Sixxen”, he focuses on a set of metal instruments developed by Iannis Xenakis, whose non-standard tuning opens up a raw, iridescent soundscape.

With: João Fialho, Tingwei Jiang, Jaejun Lee, José Nóbrega Mendes, Sangmin Oh, Hsian-En Wang

Benjamin de la Fuente: “Flip”

“Flip” is music in a state of constant flux: brief bursts, abrupt changes in direction, sudden intensifications. De la Fuente’s affinity for rock, improvisation, and contemporary composition is evident in the ensemble’s alert, physically direct energy.

With: João Fialho, Patryk Szczechowski, Hsian-En Wang

Belenish Moreno-Gil / Óscar Escudero: “OST”

A sound space that is also a visual space. “OST” combines percussion, electronics, and video into a hybrid form that lies somewhere between a concert, a performance, and a scenic installation. Moreno-Gil and Escudero explore the intersections of music theater, media art, and perception.

With: Tingwei Jiang

Emil Kuyumcuyan: “Pilgrim Trance”

In “Pilgrim Trance”, a shared space for movement emerges from (im)pulse, repetition, and collective energy. The music combines percussive physicality with influences from ritual, groove, and contemporary music practice. Ten drummers develop a sound that grows increasingly dense.

Mit: Lukas Butscher (Stella Vorarlberg, Feldkirch), Yi-Ling Cai, Elisa Lázaro Hernando (HfM Karlsruhe), Tingwei Jiang, Thibault Keith (HfM Karlsruhe), Ching-Yun Lin, Vanessa Porter (Professorin an der HfM Karlsruhe), Philipp Roman (Stella Vorarlberg, Feldkirch), Patryk Szczechowski, Hsian-En Wang, Emil Kuyumcuyan

intermission

John Cage: “Third Construction”

Composed in 1941, “Third Construction” remains one of the key works in the percussion repertoire to this day. Cage expands the musical space through the use of unusual instruments, precise rhythmic spacing, and an openness of listening that already foreshadows his later aesthetic.

With: Yi-Ling Cai, Sangmin Oh, Patryk Szczechowski, Hsian-En Wang

Igor C. Silva: “Your Trash”

What is being heard, what is overlooked, what is thrown away? “Your Trash” looks at materials, consumption, and perception. Silva frequently works with electronics, video, and social issues; here, everyday objects and media become musical actors.

With: Hsian-En Wang

Thierry de Mey: “Pièce de gestes”

No instruments, no mallets: In “Pièce de gestes”, movement itself becomes the score. Belgian composer and filmmaker Thierry de Mey translates musical thought into visible rhythms and turns to the body as vehicle of sound.

With: João Fialho, Tingwei Jiang, Jaejun Lee, Miguel Martínez Pico, Yi-Ling Cai

Iannis Xenakis: “Peaux”

“Peaux,” the third movement from “Pléïades”, focuses on drumskin instruments. Xenakis —composer, architect, and mathematical thinker — combines archaic power with rigorous structure: music characterized by intensity, density, and physical presence.

With: Yi-Ling Cai, João Fialho, Tingwei Jiang, Ching-Yun Lin, Ricardo Marques, Patryk Szczechowski

Georges Aperghis: “Conversation” from “Zig-Bang”

A brief scene of speech, reaction, and gesture: “Conversation” transforms communication into musical material. Aperghis, a central figure in contemporary music theater, shapes speech, interruptions, and listening into rhythmic forms.

Mit: Lukas Butscher, Yi-Ling Cai, Leonhard Eickermann, João Fialho, Elisa Lázaro Hernando, Tingwei Jiang, Thibault Keith, Stefan Kribs, Emil Kuyumcuyan, Jaejun Lee, Ching-Yun Lin, Ricardo Marques, José Nóbrega Mendes, Sangmin Oh, Vanessa Porter, Miguel Martinez Pico, Philipp Roman, Patryk Szczechowski, Hsian-En Wang