Path to Democracy

The former assembly hall of the Bundesrat (Germany's upper house of parliament) is luxuriously appointed with massive wooden tables. That thoroughly conservative space was the scene of what was probably the most extreme program of the full-day concert marathon, with experimental works by Dieter Schnebel, Richard Barrett and Thierry de Meye and improvised sound by the DJ formation "Institut für Feinmotorik."

The works "Musik de tables" (Table Music) by Belgian composer Thierry de Mey and "Bauernszene" (Farmer's Scene) by German composer Dieter Schnebel are considered to be so-called "sound music." With Schnebel, the instruments are rolling plates and clattering cutlery, while in de Mey's piece it is six hands clapping, scratching and beating on the venerable tables.

"Interference," a work by British composer Richard Barrett, explores the sound cosmos of the bass clarinet. It was written for clarinettist Carl Rosmann, a soloist of the Musikfabrik, who also performed it in this concert. The scholarly sounding name "Institut fuer Feinmotorik" (Institute for fine motor activity) is used by four Cologne DJ's whose main instrument, the record player, is complemented by every other kind of object and who clearly have fun at improvisation - to the great enjoyment of visiting classes of schoolchildren at the concert.

Program

Dieter Schnebel (1930-)

Bauernszene

Richard Barrett (1959-)

Interference

Thierry de Mey (1956-)

Musique de Tables

Institut für Feinmotorik

Tracks from Minimal Techno to Rocking Grooves

Performed by

Soloists of the musikFabrik: Carl Rosman (clarinet), Thomas Meixner, Alban Wesly, Thomas Oesterdiekhoff und Dirk Rothbrust

Institut fuer Feinmotorik: Daniel van den Eijkel, Mark Bruederle, Florian Meyer und Marc Matter.

Recorded by Deutsche Welle on Sept. 6, 2009 in the Assembly Hall of the Bundesrat, Bonn.

ab/kjb