Classical music gets an electric makeover

As a music student in Germany during the 1980s, composer Detlef Heusinger sometimes felt out of place.

His desire to fuse minimalist music with post-modern ideas didn’t always suit his surroundings.

“You can imagine that this was not accepted in 1980’s Germany,” Heusinger said. “I was 22 and just wanted to rebel against what was expected.”

But as a part of the UNC music department’s Talking Music Series — which began Monday and continues until Wednesday night in Hill Hall — Heusinger’s once-rebellious ideas were celebrated.

The series, a three-day electronic music festival, reinvents classical music in an electronic format.

Featuring composers, performers and recent graduates, the festival — organized by UNC composition professor and pianist Stefan Litwin — assembles a variety of musicians and music types in an open exploration of modern composition.

Heusinger directed a discussion with the artists before the performance Monday evening.

A small gathering of students and community members were free to watch the artists analyze the common threads in the works to be performed that evening.

“Monday evening is very special because it has music for pianos and electronics,” said Alex Van Gils, a composer and a bass player with the UNC Symphony Orchestra.

Van Gils, a recent graduate from the UNC music department, was present at Monday’s events.

Monday’s discussion revealed some of the themes that festival organizers say will hold throughout the three evenings.

Two of the pieces performed were composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen, an influential composer of electronic music.

The other piece was composed by Heusinger, the director of a German experimentalist studio.

The music centers around two back-to-back pianos, topped with antique cymbals to add a different sound to the pieces.

Wooden blocks added a solid rhythm to the songs.

“This piece was constructed for two pianos, as well as electronics to accompany them,” sound projector Michael Acker said.

“They add to the sinus pitch of the pianos and add to the original piano sound, and my job is to find the right balance between the two.”

All musicians on stage agreed that while technological advancement has changed the composition process, this change does not detract from the meaning of the piece.

Litwin said the piece “Gesang der Jünglinge” took composer Stockhausen more than a year to create.

“It would probably take two minutes today,” Litwin said.

Later evenings in the festival series will feature the duo pianists Adreas Grau and Goetz Schumacher playing the music of various composers. Litwin will perform Tuesday with vocalist Janice Misurell-Mitchell.

And though Monday’s performance was unique in its spatial setup and music choices — eight speakers surrounded the auditorium seating in Hill Hall to give listeners a 360-degree experience — Tuesday and Wednesday promise to be just as interesting, participants said.

“We are hoping a lot of people will join us,” Van Gils said.

Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.