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Elbtonal Percussion

Ensemble

ElbtonalPercussion – Percussive Art

“You find yourself where you generally do not expect to be with a classically trained ensemble: in urban spaces, in a club, in the neon-lit night,” wrote the TAZ, and the Hamburger Morgenpost praised the “sound of great precision, shining in ever-changing colours”.

Beyond repetitive afro-trance-percussion and incorporating a wide array of styles, this quartet (established in 1996) crosses through classical repertoire, new music, rock, jazz and drum’n’bass. Centred in an aesthetically pleasing amassment of glittering drums, cymbals, bells, marimba, vibraphone, gongs, and traditional Japanese wadaiko drums, these Hamburg musicians captivate the audience with their dynamic live performances. ElbtonalPercussion have published four of their own CDs to date and have made guest appearances on several other albums and compilations. Concert tours have led the four musicians to Japan and famous festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the JazzBaltica festival in Northern Germany.

For want of original historical repertoire, the ensemble often create their own works and have experimented with new concert forms involving live electronics. In addition, they are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to collaborate with guest musicians and artists from other disciplines. This has resulted in some exciting projects for e.g. with vibraphonist Christopher Dell, design icon Peter Schmidt, John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet, organist and composer Claus Bantzer, marimba virtuoso Keiko Abé, Christian Brückner, or the world-famous drummer and percussionist Trilok Gurtu,.


“- Where all boundaries cross and all contradictions meet, that is the point at which life begins - according to the poet Friedrich Hebbel. The four percussionists of this Hamburg Ensemble would certainly nod in smiling agreement …” (Kieler Nachrichten).

References

Concerts:

-Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival
-JazzBaltica (Salzau/Kiel)
-Dance and Folk Festival, Rudolstadt
-Fusion Festival
-Groove in Germany - Festival
-Percussion - Festival Vechta 2006
-Festival Euro- Classic
-North German Broadcasting Corportation (NDR) - "das neue Werk"
-Händel Festival
-Iwamizawa Art and Musik Festival (Sapporo/Japan)
-Music Festival, Altenburg
-Sauerland Musical Autumn
-"Con Brio"- Festival, Osnabrück
-Lower Saxony Music Days series

Events/Supporting Programs:

-HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
-Hannover Trade Fair
-Lufthansa
-Deutsche Post
-General International Meeting of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
-Chinese Moon Festival, Federal State Offices of Hamburg in Berlin
-Museum for Hamburg History Hamburgische Geschichte
-Helms Museum (Harburg)
-Körber Foundation (Kompass Award)
-ICAS 2006 (International Council of the Aeronautical Siences 2006)
-Töpfer Founation
-Phönikks Foundation
-UBS Bank
-DG Bank
-EDEKA
-German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) Award Ceremony

Projects

ElbtonalPercussion & Soloists:

-Trilok Gurtu (Drums/Percussion)
-Keiko Abe (Marimba)
-Wolf Kerscheck (Vibraphone/Marimbaphone/Arrangement/Composition)
-Christopher Dell (Vibraphone)
-Claus Bantzer (Organ/Piano/Composition)
-Leszek Zadlo (Sax)
-G-Strings (String Quintet)
-Evrus Trio (Pianto Trio)
-Academic Brass (Brass Ensemble)
-Christian Brückner (Recitation -music and words)
-Michael Batz (Light Art)

ElbtonalPercussion & Choir:

-NDR Choir
-Schleswig Holstein Music Festival Choir
-Uetersen Choirboys
-St.Johannis Harvestehude Choir
-Schubert Choir, Hamburg
St.Johannis Altona Choir
-Choir of the Hamburg Singers' Acacemy (Sängerakademie)

ElbtonalPercussion & Orchestra:

-Hamburger Camerata
- Nordrhein-Westfalen Chamber Philharmonie (Westfälische Kammerphilharmonie)
-Festival Orchester, "Con Brio" Festival, Osnabrück

ElbtonalPercussion & Dance:

-John Neumeiers Hamburg Ballet
-Childrens' Dance Project, Farmsen Comprehensive School (HH)
-John Neumeier Ballet School
-"Streetmachine" (Breakdance)

ElbtonalPercussion & Theatre:

-Ernst Deutsch Theatre
-Hamburg Kammerspiele
-Lübeck Theatre
-Deutsches Schauspielhaus Theatre in Hamburg
-Hamburg State Opera

ElbtonalPercussion & Film:

-"Cherry Blossoms" (2007 Doris Dörrie)
-"´The Baader-Meinhof Complex" (2008 Uli Edel)
-"Pandorum" (2009 Christian Alwart)
-"Das Eskimobaby" (1914 Heinz Schall) - Live accompaniment of a silent film

Repertoire

- "Marimba Spiritual" (M.Miki)
- "Trio per uno" (N.J.Zivkovic)
- "Uneven Souls" (N.J.Zivkovic)
- "Rain Tree" (T.Takemitsu)
- "Gainsborough" (T.Gauger)
- "Lift Off" (R.Peck)
- "Suite en concert" (A.Jolivet)
- "Omphalo centric lecture" (N.Westlake)
- "Rakuichi-Nanaza" (K.Wada)
- "Etudes Choreographiques" (M.Ohana)
- "Tangents" (S.Fink)
- "Music for Pieces of Wood" (S.Reich)
- "Tischmusik" (C.Moser)

- "Mylectric" (J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Freak Taeb" (J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Ghanaia" (M.Schmitt/Arr.: ElbtonalPercussion)
- "Puzzle Picture" (J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "ognoB gnoS" (J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Kiretase" (J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Jazzit" (C.Dell/J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Song For Lea" (J.-F.Behrend/C.Dell)
- "Claire De Lune" (C.Debussy/Arr.: ElbtonalPercussion)
- "Bamboole" (j.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Squabble" (S.Pintev/J.-F.Behrend)
- "Paradies" (C.Bantzer/Arr.: S.Krause)
- "African Blues" (W.Roggenkamp/Arr.: S.Krause)
- "St.Agnes In The Burning Train" (G.Summner/Arr.: A.Kauffmann)
- "Black Metal Rockers" (S.Krause)
- "Minimalectric (S.Krause/J.-F.Behrend)
- "Bazar" (C.Bantzer/J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "Drachenburg" (W.Dauner/Arr.: A.Kauffmann)
- "Veddel" (J.-F.Behrend)
- "Blues For Gilbert" (M.Glentworth/Arr.: J.-F.Behrend/S.Krause)
- "LI" (S.Krause)
- "WYSIWYG" (S.Krause)
- "Intrada" (S.Krause)
- "Left Eye" (S.Krause)

ElbtonalPercussion & Choir:

- "Carmina Burana" (C.Orff)
- "Canto General" (M.Theodorakis/P.Neruda)
- "Chichester Psalms" (L.Bernstein)
- "Les Noces" (I.Stravinski)
- "AVOAHA" (M.Ohana)
- "War Requiem" (B.Britten)
- "African Sanctus" (D.Fanshawe)

ElbtonalPercussion & Orchestra:

- "Carmen Suite" (G.Bizet/R.Schtschedrin)
- "Altar de Neon" (G.Ortiz)
- "Time before - time after" (C.Bantzer/S.Krause)
- "Pictures at an Exhibition" (M.Mussorgsky/E.Howarth- Arrangement for .brass instruments and percussion)

ElbtonalPercussion & Opera:

- "Die Nase" (The Nose) (D. Shostakovich)
- "Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern" (The Little Match Girl) (H.Lachemann)