【Works】

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Reading Music 2

How would a composer express thought beyond the typical five-line staff music composition? “Reading Music” is a series of creative works based on text compositions. The concepts originated from that proposed by the influential composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen at Composition Studio in Darmstadt, Germany including text compositions, the relationship of sound and space, and mobile actor-audience. In “Reading Music,” the composers attempt to explore how the composer and performers would mutually understand each other and interpret music after jumping out of the typical medium, sheet music. A new stage concept has been formed by mixing performing spaces and camera lens to further expand the relationship between sound art and spaces. Reading 1 was first performed in the 2020 One More Festival and it became a huge sensation after the performance on the 2021 Weiwuying TIFA Contemporary Music Platform. Launched in 2021, Reading Music 2 again was recorded by Ensemble KNM Berlin and two Taiwanese composers and three foreign composers were invited to deeply explore the role relationship between composers and performers, connection between sound field and physical space, and installation of camera lens and recording system behind text composition that carry art presentation and functions in the digital era.

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Program

Pia Palme: Zellwärts

Chen Yi-De: Transmission for Flute, Clarinet in B-flat, Trumpet, Violin, and Violoncello

Bumki Kim: Repeat !

Tung Chao-Ming: Swell Chamber music for 4 musicians (wind instruments and strings)

Julio Estrada: listen to a color (from: solo for the self)

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Concept｜Karlheinz Stockhausen

Produced by｜Ensemble KNM Berlin、Studio Acht

Director｜Thomas Bruns

Sound design and video｜Andre Bartetzki、Thomas Bruns

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* "Reading Music" is a series of works of “Tunings of the Worlds 2.0” co-curated by the KNM Berlin and Studio Acht.

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Requiem

A dialogue between life and death, Charles Kwong’s Requiem is a fictional rite of passage for the dead and the living, with text by writer and storyteller Yuen Che Hung and performances featuring Hong Kong musicians to transform “Tai Kwun” into a transitional place between the existence and the transcendence, the work ventures into our inner worlds manifested through funeral ceremonies as we face mortality. He thought about how to construct rites through music and use sound to present issues of life and death. He attempted to use music as the carrier to showcase his fictional rite and to extend his search of specific music for the field. He wants to discover power generated from interruption in specific time and space, one of the origins of the music essence in each culture. The work consists of five parts videos and live performances, respectively are I. Introit、II. Kyrie、III. Graduale、IV. Tractus and V. Offertorium. We now play you: III. ~ V.

 

​Concept and Music／Charles Kwong

Text and Narration／Yuen Che Hung

Production／PROJECT21st

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​*Requiem is commissioned by Tai Kwun Contemporary

* "Requiem" is the program of " Hongkong × Taiwan Contemporary Classical Music Exchange Programme " co- organized by the Studio Acht and the West Kowloon Cultural District (Hong Kong)

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【Performer】

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KNM Berlin

Proposed by current manager Thomas BRUNS, Ensemble KNM Berlin was founded in 1988 . They, based in Berlin, invite musicians graduated from Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin to commit themselves to performing contemporary works and have closely collaborated with famous composers, writers, conductors, artists, and producers to create innovative, and diverse works with great scope and depth. With the vision to develop a new face of contemporary music, artistic director and producer Thomas BRUNS plans and launches performances of various themes every year, with new attempts to incorporate other fields and media in recent years. The Ensemble has produced 15 albums, with works collaborated with composer Beat Furrer in 20 0 9 and March 2010 winning German Record Critics Award. They have been regularly invited to Taiwan in recent years to participate in works such as Stereoscope performed at TIFA Contemporary Music Platform at Weiwuying in 2019, and Spur and The Photographer in collab oration with German -based choreographer SUN Shang- chi. Their performances have been well-received, and they fully demonstrate the allure of the arts through exhibiting the diversity and plasticity of contemporary music.​

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PROJECT21st

Established in 2019, PROJECT21st is an independent production company. We create, curate and facilitate artistic exchange and collaborations, in response to the opportunities and challenges presented by the changing global ecology of performing arts in the 21st century. We aspire to initiate international networks and projects with music as the central component.

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Tunings of the World 2.0 – Reading Music

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Curation｜Studio Acht

Co-curation｜Ensemble KNM Berlin

Co-organizer｜National Taichung Theater

Supports｜West Kowloon Cultural District Free Space、Goethe-Institut Taipei

 

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*Tunings of the World 2.0 is a project by the Ensemble KNM Berlin in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Taipei, the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Chennai, Studio Acht Taiwan and Jinju Music Festival (JMF). Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the National Culture and Arts Foundation (Taiwan)

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