if this then that and now what
Commissioned by The City of Munich for the Munich Biennale; financed by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
A co-production of the Munich Biennale and Staatstheater Mainz
composition/direction/stage design: Simon Steen-Andersen; Costumes: Thilo Zürn; dramaturge: Ina Karr;
»if this then that and now what« is a music theater piece for eighteen musicians and four actors that moves between theater, a lecture performance, concert, light show, and installation. Or better said: Instead of an »in-between« this evening will attempt to be everything simultaneously. Because in his works Simon Steen-Andersen combines musical and acoustic material with visual elements. The results are compositions where images, movements, and gestures take on a role that is as equally important as the music, and relate to one another in polyphonic complexity. Performing the music is itself part of the compositional thinking. Thus, for example, musical structure is created from the choreographically composed movements of the musicians. In addition, Steen-Andersen will develop several sound objects for this piece; they are fascinating in that they have precisely this combination of visuals and acoustics.
»I see the project as a translation of my main interests from the last three to four years in a large scenic format, where I will explore the connection between sound and vision.« (Simon Steen-Andersen)
Simon Steen-Andersen composition
Born in 1976 in Odder, Denmark. Studied music (composition) starting in 1998 in Århus under Karl Aage Rasmussen; in 2001/2002 under Mathias Spahlinger in Freiburg; in 2003/2004 under Gabriel Valverde in Buenos Aires; and from 2004-2006 under Bent Sørensen and Hans Abrahamsen in Copenhagen. Numerous awards and grants, including, among others, from the Danish Art Foundation; the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation; and the Darmstädter Ferienkursen (Kranichstein Music Prize 2008). Diverse residencies as a guest artist. Compositions commissioned by, among others, ensemble recherche for the Donaueschinger Musiktage 2007; Ensemble Modern; Radio-Kammerphilharmonie Hilversum; and Sinfonieorchester Shanghai. His works have been performed by ensembles such as ICTUS; Collegium Novum Zürich; and the Silesian String Quartet.
He has been teaching composition since 2008 at the Royal Academy of Music in Århus; publications in magazines such as kunstMUSIK; Dansk Musik Tidsskrift; and Parergon (Norway). Co-publisher of the Danish magazine of modern art music »AUTOGRAF.org.« The creative work of Simon Steen-Andersen includes compositions for soloists, ensembles, and orchestras, sometimes with unusual additional instruments, devices, and different electro-acoustic deployments, and also audiovisual installations. Frequently the music is given an additional theatrical dimension by the performers' actions.
Cast & credits
composition/direction/stage design: Simon Steen-Andersen
Costumes: Thilo Zürn
dramaturge: Ina Karr
Translation Libretto: Peter Urban-Halle
performer: Rüdiger Hauffe, Mathias Lodd, Matti Swiec, Marin Lemic
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz
duration: aprox. 70 minutes
Commissioned by The City of Munich for the Munich Biennale; financed by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
A co-production of the Munich Biennale and Staatstheater Mainz
further performances: Staatstheater Mainz, Kleines Haus | 23.6.2016 / 30.6.2016, respectivly 19.30 Uhr
Biographies
Rüdiger Hauffe actor
Rüdiger Hauffe, born in 1983, studied acting from 2007 until March 2011 at the Hamburg School of Music and Theater (HfMT). During his studies he performed at St. Pauli Theater and later at Thalia Theater Hamburg in, among others, the production "Leonce and Lena" (directed by Dimiter Gotscheff), and at Schauspielhaus Hamburg in Roger Vontobel's "Das Käthchen von Heilbronn." His first engagement was in 2011 at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, where he, among other roles, performed the title role in "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui." He has been a member of the ensemble at Staatstheater Mainz since the season 2014/2015, where he could be seen in, among others, as Conrad in K. D. Schmidt's production of "Nathan the Wise"; in the German premiere of Lucie Depauw's "Lilli/Heiner"; and in the world premiere of "The Sirens of Titan."
Ina Karr dramaturge
Ina Karr studied music education, musicology, and German in Freiburg, Germany. Afterwards she worked as a research associate at the University of Freiburg; as a writer for daily magazines and journals; a festival correspondent for BBC London; a dramaturge at the "Eclat" festival; and managing director of Ensemble Aventure. Starting in 2002 dramaturge at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, and starting in 2006 chief music theater dramaturge at Oldenburgische Staatstheater, where she also was named director of opera in 2009. Since 2014 Ina Karr has been chief dramaturge for music theater at the Staatstheater Mainz. She is a lecturer at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg and the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK). She is also especially interested in the further development of contemporary music theater for children.
Philharmonische Staatsorchester Mainz Orchestra
The Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz has had an influence on the music culture of the city of Mainz for centuries, and it has developed into one of the most important orchestras in the entire Rhine-Main-Neckar-Rivers region. As principal conductor of the orchestra since the 2011/2012 season, Hermann Bäumer has been extremely successful in continuing this development. In addition to their participation in the music theater performances of Staatstheater Mainz, the musicians of the orchestra can be heard performing in various concert series: The symphony concerts, special concerts, and chamber concerts are distinguished by an evocative and dynamic program that is also open to innovation and experiments. The orchestra regularly works with renowned guest conductors, most recently with, among others, Krzysztof Penderecki; Olari Elts; Michail Jurowski; Marko Letonja; Alun Francis; Patrik Lange; and Andreas Spering; and with guest soloists such as Isabelle Faust; Midori; Antje Weithaas; Jörg Widmann; Herbert Schuch; Christian Poltéra; Tzimon Barto; Kolja Blacher; Julian Steckel; Baiba Skride; and Lilya Zilberstein.