Performances

This performance emerged through shared authorship and with Alexander Okhotnikov as project leader. The performers contributed something from their own practice to the co-creative process, for example, sounds, movements, ideas, or ways of working. The performance formed part of a presentation by Stephanie Guse during the symposium on Arts, Climate and Research, organised by the Centre for Sustainability and the Artistic Research Centre of the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna (mdw). The performance and its preparation are part of the creative practice Pas: Trans_form, and contribute to reaching the aims of the project Zukunftspotenzial Kunst (Future Potential of Art). Read more here.

A composition by Hannes Taljaard for violin and viola titled Amare Illi formed the starting point for the development of this performance. The participants worked with the transformation of meaning through music, movement material and the Italian text of a composition by Giulio Caccini, Amarilli mia bella. This co-creative process was based upon the strategies for collaboration that are being developed via the creative practice Pas: Trans_form. As part of this practice, the performance and its preparation supported and illuminated the aims of the project Zukunftspotenzial Kunst (Future Potential of Art). The performance formed part of a symposium on Arts, Climate and Research, organised by the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna (mdw). Read more here.

AMBO performed Arena Caliente, a composition for two pianos by Alexander, and two pieces from a collection of piano duets, titled NoWHere which I am currently composing for us. From this collection, we gave the first perormances of after Grief and of within Acceptance. The main focus of the concert fell on our improvisations on the two pianos, and we also interacted with the audience via specific objects which became the basis for structuring an improvisation in sound. We ended our concert with an inside-piano sound improvisation, and were joined by dance students of the University of Cape Town. We worked with these wonderful young artists during our workshop Improvisation skills in Sound+Movement as a resource for dancers one week earlier, and their joining us on stage was a highlight of our tour in the Western Cape. Our concert was the conclusion of our workshops in piano improvisation at the South African College of Music (SACM).

Our site-specific performance which lasted 45 minutes was the culmination of a three-day rehearsal process with Christine Pichler as project leader. We ‘recreated’ the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin as a way to question history, contemporary events, and specifically the lagacies of artists who participated in the event in 1936. Christine’s theoretical framework centred on the notions of Hegemony, Biography and Performativity.

On 23 December I agreed to ‘jump in’ on a day’s notice as organist during the Christmas mass that started at 23:00 in this small village 30 km from Vienna. When I was not needed at the organ, I joined the (two) tenors in the small church choir.

Trio Auturja presented a scond performance of the work that I composed for them: a new trio consisting of arrangements of two songs, originally for Baritone and piano, from my song Cycle Rare Kinnerjare. They also played music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Rota. This concert was part the series Grenzenlos - Klangwelten für drei. A live recording of one of the two songs can be heard on Youtube.

allerdings presented an improvisation as part of a concert titled Herbert Lauermann, zum 70. Geburstag. He is an Austrian composer who taught for many years at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (mdw). Lisa Helmel studied with us from 2019 to 2024 at the mdw where we all had classes with Prof. Lauermann.

AMBO collaborated as ´sounders´ and as ´movers´ during this performance: we improvised sounds to accompany dancers, performed an improvisation on percussion instruments, and participated as part of the ensemble of movement artists. More information can be found on the website of the holistic dance institute.

The Webern chamber choir added a few extra singers for this concert, and I joined the bass section.

The Webern chamber choir added a few extra singers for this concert, and I joined the bass section. This concert took place the day before our concert in the Musikverein in Vienna.

Trio Auturja presented the first performance of a work that I composed for them: a new trio consisting of arrangements of two songs, originally for Baritone and piano, from my song Cycle Rare Kinnerjare. They also played music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Rota. This concert was part the series Sommerkonzerte 2025. A live recording of one of the two songs can be heard on Youtube.

This was the first performance in South Africa of the seven short pieces for piano solo, which were composed in Vienna and of which I gave the first performance in Vienna. Catrien Wentink’s performance was part the yearly NWU South African New Music Concert, supported by MASARA.

Students of the University of Music and performing Arts Vienna under the direction of Michel Chuen performed the Salieri Requiem as part of a celebration to commemorate the death of Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), an Italian composer who played an important part in the cultural life in Vienna.

Part of the concert Let Freedom Ring

Part of the concert moving voices

Our performance was part of the concert Das ist ein Konzert. The score of Arena Caliente can be downlaoded here.

Music improvisation with Burkhard Stangl (Guitar), Yungseo Kim (Violin) and Hannes Taljaard (Inside-Piano, Prepared Piano) as part of the celebration for Prof. Manon-Liu Winter.

Music and noise improvisation inspired by the art work Sea Dragon Relief (2021) by Lin May Saeed. Performance as part of Songs for the Changing Seasons (KlangBildKlang-Festival & Klima Biennale Wien)

Improvisation with noise (objects and percussion instruments) and movement inspired by the art work The City of Birds (2020-2021) by Studio Ossidiana. Performers: Zurisadai Rivas Escorihuela, Viktoria Enzinger, YueJia Zhu, Hannes Taljaard; Performance as part of Songs for the Changing Seasons (KlangBildKlang-Festival & Klima Biennale Wien)

I was part of various ensembles that presented movement improvisations to various compositions – for more information click here.

The four songs were performed as part of the concert Espresso con Erica. The concert included music by Benjamin Britten, Franz Schubert, Bernd Preinfalk, and Claude Debussy.

Structured movement improvisation for ensemble performed by Alexander Okhotnikov, Anna Ulrich, Elli Deutsch, Hannes Taljaard, Hongshan Bi, Julia Skopp, Marharyta Limbakh, Viktoria Enziner, Xaver Duntze, and Zurisadai Rivas Escorihuela

Choreography performed by Alexander Okhotnikov, Anna Ulrich, Elli Deutsch, Hannes Taljaard, Hongshan Bi, Julia Skopp, Marharyta Limbakh, Viktoria Enziner, Xaver Duntze, and Zurisadai Rivas Escorihuela

I developed and directed a movement improvisation to the last part of the composition. It was performed by Elena Perkhofer, Hannes Taljaard, Hongshan Bi, Tina Zierhofer, YueJia Zhu and Xaver Duntze, part of the Festwoche Musikpädagogik.

I was part of an ensemble under the direction of Milly Groz: eight students and two children presented an improvisation in music and movement that was structured through ‘sound painting’.

Movement improvisation based upon the lyrics of the two lullabies, part of the ABI Festival (Festival of the Anton Bruckner Institute)

This performance took place as part of a concert “Preludium inför Nobel” with the subtitle Peace / Giving Space / Taking Space. The concert was inspired by the life of Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize), and musicians from KMH and from the North-West University (South Africa) performed.

Structured improvisation presented as part of the concert Verschwommen

Duo choreography without music together with Aaron Josi Sternbauer, part of the concert Kann jemand bitte die Bühne freigeben?

I performed my solo choreography to a recording of my piano composition Setude 3, as part of the concert Kann jemand bitte die Bühne freigeben?. The recording of my piano composition was released by Jefrrey Jacob in 2008.