The Acousmonium (Drew McDowall, Félicia Atkinson, Michaela Turcerová, BJ Nilsen, Bernard Parmegiani, Peter Kolman)

WED 26/11 – Slovak Radio Building, Bratislava, Slovakia.
20 € Discounted / 25 € Pre-sale / 30 € Door (if available)

The opening of NEXT 2025 in the Large Concert Studio of the Slovak Radio will take place in cooperation with the Paris-based INA GRM (Institut National Audiovisuel, Groupe de Recherches Musicales), which was founded by Pierre Schaeffer in 1951 and has since become one of the world’s most important centers of research and creation in the field of electronic music. The gala evening will also continue the rich history of the Experimental Studio in Bratislava, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary.

For the first time in Slovakia, we will experience the impressive Acousmonium sound system. This unique “speaker orchestra” is designed specifically for the spatial interpretation of electroacoustic music and was created in 1974 by composer François Bayle. The system consists of dozens of speakers of various sizes, power and character, arranged in space so that the sound can be “played” like a musical instrument. Experiencing Acousmonium live is a unique opportunity – its precise, plastic and physical spatial projection is one of the most iconic experiences of European experimental music.

The opening evening of the festival combines archival multichannel compositions from the collection of the Experimental Studio of Bratislava Radio and the historical archive of the GRM with premieres of new commissioned works and live performances by prominent contemporary authors. Peter Kolman’s E 15will be heard in a new spatial arrangement, premiere concert sets by BJ Nilsen, Michaela Turcerová and Drew McDowall, as well as Félicia Atkinson’s work for piano, electronics and surround sound, complemented by a composition by Bernardo Parmegiani from the GRM archive.

Acousmonium will resonate at the Bratislava Radio as a complex soundscape – an exceptional evening in which the history, present and future of electroacoustic music meet.

PROGRAMME:

Archive of Experimental studio Bratislava: Peter Kolman – E 15 (12’)

BJ Nilsen – True than Nature (25’)

Michaela Turcerová – IN FLUX⁵⁰ (23’)

Break

Archive GRM: Bernard Parmegiani – La Roue Ferris (10’45″)

Félicia Atkinson – Ni envers ni endroit que cette roche brûlante (Pour Georgia O’Keeffe) (20’18″)

Drew McDowall (30’)

NEXT 2025: Advanced Music Festival – 26 – 30 NOV – Bratislava.

ARTISTS:
Saint Abdullah, Eomac & Rebecca Salvadori: A Forbidden Distance, Adriana Morn, Andi Otto, Andras Blazsek & Ryo Ikeshiro, Bint Mbareh, DJ Spinn, Ensemble of Futurist Noise Intoners, Fred Frith & Valentina Magaletti, Gascia Ouzounian, Isaiah Hull, Jimi Tenor, Lechuga Zafiro, Lénok, Luciano Maggiore, Mariam Rezaei, Moin, Myriam Bleau & Nien-Tzu Weng: Second Self, s.snurssla, Stas Shärifullá (HMOT), Steve Goodman (Kode9), Štefan Szabó, INA GRM Acousmonium w/ BJ Nilsen, Drew McDowall, Félicia Atkinson, Michaela Turcerová …and more