PERFORMANCE AND VERNISSAGE – MUSIC TO BE SEEN
Morton Feldman
For Philip Guston
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE PROJECT
October 7th 2023
ADI Design Museum, Via Ceresio, 7 Milan
2.30 p.m. – 6.30 p.m.*
Sara Baldini (flutes), Veronique Delcambre (piano and celesta), Jean-Louis Maton (percussions), Frank Gizycki (dancer and coreographer) (BE)
Supported by Acadèmie Beloeil de Musique (BE)
*entry allowed with the museum ticket during all 4 hours of the performance
THE ENTRY TICKET IS INCLUDED IN THE ADI DESIGN MUSEUM VISITOR TICKET.
YOU CAN FREELY JOIN THE PERFORMANCE DURING THE ALL AFTERNOON.
Morton Feldman: ≪If you don’t have a friend who’s a painter, you’re in trouble≫
One of the most significant meetings in 1949 was surely that between Morton Feldman and John Cage, the start of an artistic association of crucial importance to music in America in the ‘50s. Cage encouraged him to have confidence in his instincts, a directive he took very much to heart, becoming a pioneer of intuitive composition.
Outside of Cage, Feldman had many others close friends in the New York avant-garde. He knew most of the New York painters of his time, so much so he once said «If you don’t have a friend who’s a painter, you’re in trouble».
This performance lasts almost four and a half hours, and shows how For Philip Guston ˗ a trio for flutes, percussions, piano and celesta ˗ defines the whole essence of what Feldman’s late music was about. Listening to it, is to become immersed in a unique musical world, built on a four note motif: C, G, A♭, E♭; an anagram of Cage, who introduced Guston and Feldman in 1950. This particle returns throughout the piece in many manifestations, but each time it gains a new significance, a result of the experience of what has happened since it was last heard. Feldman’s use of subtle shifts ˗ note to note and chord to chord ˗ skews the sense of time for the listener. The smallest change assumes a great expressive significance.
About his 4 hours piece Feldman says:
«My whole generation was hung up on the 20 to 25 minute piece. It was our clock. We all got to know it, and how to handle it. As soon as you leave the 20-25 minute piece behind, in a one movement work, different problems arise. Up to one hour you think about form, but after an hour and a half it’s scale. Form is easy – just the division of things into parts. But scale is another matter. You have to have control of the piece – it requires a heightened kind of concentration. Before, my pieces were like objects; now, they’re like evolving things».
The special performance at ADI Design Museum
The Belgian ensemble invited for this performance presents a new version of “For Philip Guston” at the ADI Museum, that blends music and dance. Dance serves as a means of interaction between the musicians and the audience: the dancer becomes a storyteller of Guston’s own pictorial art, in his transition from abstract expressionism to representational painting, in order to open new perspectives on how the audience can immerse itself in Morton Feldman’s music. During this marathon the audience is invited to move in the space, experiencing a practice that returns in Feldman’s own writings, as in the introduction to the world premiere of the piece on April 21, 1985:
« As I say, the piece is long. Don’t feel that you’re a captive audience, and don’t be embarrassed if you have to leave. A lot of good friends might have to pick up a daughter from a birthday party. Other friends who are here have to pick up someone from the airport…so it’s perfectly OK.»
This performance can be observed from all angles and enjoyed in a dynamic way, visiting the ongoing exhibitions, exploring the museum, stopping at the bar or at the bookshop: being part for an afternoon in the life of the ADI Museum, in the heart of the city of Milan. The leading Belgian ensemble is an international group founded by musicians from France, Italy and Belgium, who met and formed an ensemble during their specialisation at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, as part of the master’s project in contemporary music and multidisciplinary arts held by Ictus ensemble and Spectra, historic formations specialized in contemporary music.
Frank Gizycki – who joined the group for this special edition of “For Philip Guston” – is a dancer who is part of Rosas, the company of choreographer and dancer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.
Performers
Sara Baldini ( flutes ) : (Italy 1986) After obtaining the diploma and the specialization diploma in flute, she studied with Mario Caroli at the Conservatory of the Italian Switzerland of Lugano, where she obtained the Master of Advanced Studies in Contemporary music performance and interpretation. She took part at the Ateliers d’interpretation of Centre Acanthes (Metz), Internationale Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik of Darmstadt, Linea Ensemble Academy (Strasbourg) and the Stockhausen courses (Kurten). Laureate of international music competitions “Luigi Nono” of Turin and “Citta di Treviso” for contemporary music, she attended the Advanced Master program in Contemporary Music of the School of Arts of Gent tutored by the ensemble Ictus. She has been part of chamber music groups “Modena Flute Ensemble” (Italy), “Ensemble 900” (Switzerland), “The Flute Project “(Germany) and” G.A.M.E. “(Belgium). She currently resides in Belgium where she’s part of “Duo Assonance”, a flute-piano duo dedicated to the promotions of young composers and repertoire for flute, piano and electronics. Following her passion for music pedagogy, she works for the Jeunesses Musicales in Brussels and for other music associations in the country.
Veronique Delcambre (piano and celesta): (Belgium1986) Veronique Delcambre began her musical studies at the Gosselies Academy where she received several awards. Afterwards, she was accepted into the Royal Conservatory of Mons in the class of Rosella Clini and Thomas Paule. Several years later, she obtained her Master’s degree with high honours, as well as a Master’s in accompaniment in the class of Catherine Van Loo. From 2013 to 2015, she perfected her skills in contemporary music with the members of the Ictus and Spectra ensembles through the Master after Master program at the Ghent Royal Conservatory. During her years of study, Veronique regularly participated in international workshops and master classes. Veronique carries a deep passion for chamber music and performs in many diverse groups. To complement her interest in contemporary music, she enjoys collaborating with composers to create new works and reimagine existing pieces. She has worked closely with such composers as Jean-Luc Fafchamps, Claude Ledoux, Stephane Orlando, Geoffrey Francois et Gilles Gobert. These collaborations with composers also guided her toward interdisciplinary collaborations with dancers and choreographers. Since 2014, she has created and performed pieces with dancers from the PARTS school. Veronique performs throughout Belgium as well as abroad, including recent performances in Germany and Japan. She has been seen in such festivals as Ars Musica, Festival Loop, Saturnalia, and Horfest Neue Musik.
Jean-Louis Maton (percussions): (France- Belgium 1970) has a very rich musical background through contemporary classical music as well as improvised music and jazz. In parallel with the activity of a contemporary music and music creation, Jean-Louis has created and played in various projects, in duos and as a soloist (Qorub Duo avec Jeremy Morel et La voix des Lames avec Bart Quartier), especially in relation to his taste for the marimba as well as for traditional music related to this instrument, transcription, arrangement, composition and creation. Graduated from the Ecole Superieure des Arts of Mons (Belgium), he also studied at the CRR-Conservatoire Superieur de la ville de Paris, as well as at the CRR of Cergy in the class of Georges Pacsynski. He takes part in percussion meetings with Jean Geoffroy at CRR de Tours, as well as the summer course at Manhattan school in New York. As a percussionist, Jean Louis played throughout Europe. He engaged in the teaching of percussion and marimba, and he is holder of pedagogical diplomas; he is particularly in charge for the percussion department of CRD-CAPSO (Nord pas de Calais region, France).
Frank Gizycki (dance) : (France, 1993) graduated from scientific studies in 2011 and continued his dance education at the Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique et Danse (CNSMD Lyon), after which he went to study at the school for contemporary dance P.A.R.T.S. (Brussel), where he graduated in 2016. He joined Rosas (the company of the choreographer and dancer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker) for the revival of Rain and the exhibition Work/Travail/Arbeid. Since then, he carried on working with Rosas in Zeitigung, Achterland and Bartok/Beethoven/Schonberg. He took part in the creation of The Six Brandenburg Concertos, the Dark Red museum projects and Mystery Sonatas / For Rosa.
