New Music Orchestra / Michele Marelli (canceled) New Sounds of the Clarinet - NOSPR

In art, must the spirit always transcend matter? Or perhaps the material, the physical, or even the corporeal might become its principal theme? Yann Robin has given his answer to this question in the cycle Art of Metal, written specially for a metal double bass clarinet, for the clarinettist with the famous Ensemble Intercontemporain, Alain Billard. Yet this appealing work soon found its way into the repertoire of other performers, including the versatile clarinettist, basset horn player and mime Michele Marelli.

The first part of Art of Metal thrills with its primal energy. It is worth yielding to its ebbs and flows, suspending our intellectual reception for a moment. The powerful eruptions of sound – from both the ensemble and the monstrous solo instrument – are counterbalanced by slow and soft phases of sublime sonorities and an oneiric character. According to the composer, this work is designed to express in sound what we associate with metal: ‘strength, power, solidity, energy, brilliance, shine’.

We will get a taste of the limitless wealth of possibilities offered by the bass and double bass clarinet not only in Robin’s work – Ondřej Adámek and Krzysztof Wołek will also present their efforts to elicit new sounds from this instrument.

[Dominika Micał]