Metaphon has released a new album from Karl Van Welden and Frederik Croene entitled MARS II. The album features compositions by Croene, Van Welden, and Vincent Malstaf. The pieces were performed on an automated piano by Croene. The description for the album is as follows:
In MARS II Karl Van Welden explores the impact of volcanic ash on the performance of pianist Frederik Croene and the sound he produces, playing on an automated piano. MARS II examines a moment of catastrophe and the pianist’s reactions to drastic changes in his environment. At the outset, volcanic ash particles fall gently and harmlessly. After a while, the amount of dark volcanic ash raining down on the musician and his instrument increases exponentially, slowly but surely transforming the sound and the image. An exploration of the contrasting effects between a moment of bliss, the strike of disaster, and its aftermath.
You can purchase the album and find more information about it at the Metaphon site here. The album is limited to 300 copies, 10 of which are a special edition that features three signed and numbered prints. You can watch a short video featuring a performance from MARS II below.
MARS II
KARL VAN WELDEN
musical performance
2015
In this performance Karl Van Welden works with the impact of volcanic ash on the music and performance of pianist Frederik Croene live on stage. At the outset, volcanic ash particles fall gently and harmlessly enough. After a while, the dark volcanic ash rains down exponentially on the musician and his instrument, slowly but surely transforming the sound and image.
MARS II is a poetic account of the impact of catastrophes on our thinking. These days ecological disasters, economic crises and terrorist attacks seem to be constantly hanging over our heads. In its obsession with risk, modern-day Western society has sometimes been described as a ‘risk society’, largely organized around preventing risk. Does perhaps the human race have a need for stories of catastrophes in rather the same way as a child enjoys a gruesome fairy story? After all, our focus on a specific threat also activates us: the fear of a possible disaster makes us determined to avert it with every possible means. In that respect every apocalyptic scenario, however likely or unlikely, is a sort of secular ‘memento mori’ – a reminder of our mortality.
Within Karl Van Welden his cycle UNITED PLANETS, the MARS series focuses on resistance against great physical forces. The series started with IMAGES FOR MARS I a video work in which two soldiers from the Belgian army slowly lean into each other, their feet held in a layer of concrete.
GHENT (BE) | Vooruit
8-9 DECEMBER 2015
ARMENTIÈRES (FR) | Le Vivat
29 JANUARY 2016
AMSTERDAM (NL) | Frascati
12-13 FEBRUARY 2016
BRUSSELS (BE) | Kaaitheater
19-20 FEBRUARY 2016
UZÈS (FR) | Église Saint-Étienne (in-situ version)
18 JUNE 2016
ANTWERP (BE) | DE Studio
13-14 SEPTEMBER 2016
NEERPELT (BE) | C-Takt
21-22 OCTOBER 2016
ZÜRICH (CH) | Gessnerallee
27 JANUARI 2017
TURNHOUT (BE) | Warande
22 FEBRUARY 2017
HASSELT (BE) | CC Hasselt
31 MARCH 2017
KORTRIJK (BE) | Festival van Vlaanderen (in-situ version)
13 MAY 2017
...
Concept | Direction | Sound | Composition: Karl Van Welden – Dramaturgy: Bart Capelle – Sound | Composition | Pianist: Frederik Croene – Sound | Composition | Sound engineer: Vincent Malstaf – Machinery | Realisation: Maarten De Vrieze – Lighting design: Reynaldo Ramperssad | Jelle Moerman – Production: wpZimmer (BE) – Co-production: Vooruit (BE) | Gessnerallee (CH) | Uzès Danse (FR) | Le Vivat (FR) | IN SITU: TAKT Dommelhof (BE) | La Strada (AT) | METROPOLIS (DK) – With the support of: Flemish Government | LOD muziektheater (BE) – Thanks to: Piano's Maene
