An ear for improvisation in German musical ensemble
By Helly Minarti
JAKARTA (JP): Apart from mainstream music, there are many contemporary alternative forms of explorative and experimental ways to play music.
In the case of Ensemble Fr Intuitive Musik, from Weimar, Germany, the myth they are apparently trying to bend is that traditional western music -- with roots in classical music -- is prone to strictly written scores, while traditional eastern music tends to be spontaneously communicated on stage.
In other words, the perception that in western tradition, music belongs to the composers, while in the east, music belongs to the musicians.
The ensemble has absorbed at least two grand influences in their music. First was Karlheinz Stockhausen, a composer from Germany, who, according to organizers, found the concept of "intuitive music" some 30 years ago.
Second is the town Weimar, one of Europe's classic cultural centers where the notable German poets Goethe and Schiller were neighbors and where the works of composer J.S. Bach and Franz Liszt blossomed.
The ensemble's musicians are expected to participate in the creative process. Technical skills must be unquestionable because the goal is to create an eloquent intuitive composition on stage.
The ensemble was founded in 1980 in the former communist East Germany town of Weimar. The group's efforts to create a more liberated expression prevented them from performing there.
Led by Michael von Hintzenstern who plays piano and synthesizer, the ensemble consists of Daniel Hoffmann (trumpet, horn), Hans Tutschku (synthesizer and live electronic) and Matthias von Hintzenstern (cello).
Their uniqueness, evident from their album, lies in the extension and differences of sounds pouring out of their electronic equipment.
Michael von Hintzenstern participated in the Jakarta Art Summit two years ago by composing music for the Weimar Dance Theater.
In Jakarta, the ensemble will close the Jakarta Performing Art Market 1997 on Sept. 1 at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center.
They will present four numbers: Annaeherung (Approach), for ensemble; Michael von Hintzenstern's Leuchtende Splitter (Shining Splinter), for piano and ensemble ; Hans Tutschku's Sieben Stufen (Seven Steps), an electroacoustic composition; and Begegnungen (Encounters), for ensemble.
Tutschku is scheduled to give a free workshop on Sept. 2 in Taman Ismail Marzuki. Tony Prabowo -- an Indonesian composer who worked with the group last year -- will assist them in the workshop, together with musician Suka Hardjana.
Bandung will be their next destination, with a free workshop there on Sept. 5, with assistance from Harry Roesli, a local musician popular for his "eccentric" music.