Diabelli Machines 2 : Deleuzabelli Variations I by Paulo de Assis

Diabelli Machines 2 — Deleuzabelli Variations I was produced by ME21 at the Orpheus Institute (Ghent), in collaboration with the Royal Antwerp Conservatoire and HERMESensemble. The subtitle is a triple homage: to Beethoven, Gilles Deleuze and Anton Diabelli. Beethoven’s music functions as the backbone structure of the performance, while Deleuze’s idea of differential repetition provides a sort of method related to processes of continuous transformation and permanent becoming; and Diabelli’s name must be highly praised, for without him none of this would ever have happened.

D E L E U Z A B E L L I V A R I A T I O N S # 2

P A R T I V

After Beethoven's Diabelli Variations op. 120.

Concept, transcriptions and artistic direction: Paulo de Assis.

New compositions by Juan Parra C., David Gorton, Bart Vanhecke and Paolo Galli.

Video recording and editing: Gerhard Schabel & Thomas Heiber.

P A R T I I I

March 17, 2015

P A R T I

P A R T I I

Deleuzabelli Variations² was produced by ME21 at the Orpheus Institute (Ghent), in collaboration with the Royal Antwerp Conservatoire and HERMESensemble. In addition to the transcriptions written by Paulo de Assis, four composers were invited to write new variations, including musical comments, reflections or glosses. They are all researchers at the Orpheus Institute, affiliated to its research centre, or to the docARTES doctoral programme. Juan Parra Cancino (Chile) worked on electronically and computer-based comments on variations VIII (for guitar and live electronics) and XX (for bass flute, bass clarinet and live electronics). David Gorton (UK) wrote a set of three variations in replacement of variations XII (for flute, clarinet, viola and cello), XIII (for guitar, vibraphone and piano) and XIV (for flute, clarinet, guitar, viola, cello and piano). Bart Vanhecke (Belgium) composed a comment on variation XX (for flute, clarinet, percussion, viola, cello and piano). Paolo Galli (Italy) wrote a comment on the third part of the work, i.e., on the variations XXI to XVIII.

More than simple commissions these compositions are part of a collaborative endeavor that was build on a series of team meetings involving the core team of ME21, all the musicians of HERMESensemble, and the five composers. Additionally, the video artists Thomas Heiber and Gerhard Schabel (Germany) prepared a video installation placed outside the concert hall, as well as a documentary and a film on the whole process.

→ Juan Parra C. on his compositions