Ensemble Proton Bern

Ensemble Proton teams up with Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain for the first complete performance of “Speicher” in Bern and La Chaux-de-Fonds. From 2008 to 2013, composer Enno Poppe (*1969) worked on the enormous project “Speicher” incorporating six compositions for large ensemble, performed for the first time at the Donaueschingen Music Festival in 2013.

“Musical phenomena are never abstract. The intent of “Speicher” is to look for extremes: extreme compression, thinning, acceleration, widening. In order for the piece live, breathe and remain interesting, in addition to all the changes in the music it is above all important that one can recognise and recall something. This is possible with anything from a single sound to a whole section of the piece. Therefore it is unnecessary to constantly throw new ideas into a piece but very necessary to invent an unpredictable network of derivative sonic processes. For the audience member the next step would be that one can predict what happens next, establishing an active state of listening… However, in a Speicher (large storage object or facility) it is inevitable that things get messed up or out of order.” (Enno Poppe)