Spannungsfelder I (Areas of Conflict)

»Musik und Technik« (Music and Technology)

Performed on 23 September 2021 at Messehalle 4 in Frankfurt (Oder)

What do music and technology have in common? Quite a lot. Composers have often been enthusiastic about the latest technological inventions of their time.

This began with Ludwig van Beethoven, who was the first to use Johann Nepomuk Mälzel’s groundbreaking invention, the metronome, in his compositions.

Arthur Honegger, an enthusiastic ‘trainspotting’ fan of steam locomotives, translated the impressive sounds of a large American steam locomotive into music in 1923: you can literally hear it racing across the American continent at night…

This goes on with Niklosz Rosza, who composed the spine-tingling soundtrack to Hitchcock’s thriller Spellbound for the theremin, introduced in 1920 and the first electronic instrument that was played without physical contact, and it certainly does not end with the composition for smartphones and orchestra by French composer Bernard Cavanna.

We performed these and other technophile pieces of music with young people from Frankfurt (Oder) and Schwedt.

Music:

Ludwig van Beethoven & Johann Nepomuk Melzel with his latest invention, the metronome: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 / 2nd movement Alegretto scherzando

Arthur Honegger, the enthusiastic trainspotter: Pacific 231
Miklós Rózsa & the theremin: Spellbound
Alexander Mossolow & the iron foundry: Steel, from which The Iron Foundry
John Adams & modern machinery: Shaker Loops / 1st movement Shaking and Trembling
Bernard Cavanna & the smartphone: Geek Bagatelles for smartphones and orchestra

Howard Griffiths, Conductor