T H E  D A R K

P R E C U R S O R

International Conference on Deleuze and Artistic Research

DARE 2015 | Orpheus Institute | Ghent | Belgium | 9-11 November 2015

O P E N - A C C E S S   R I C H - M E D I A  P R O C E E D I N G S

Edited by Paulo de Assis and Paolo Giudici

Paulo de Assis and HERMESensemble

Deleuzabelli Variations # 4

Day 1, 9 November, De Bijloke Concert Hall, 18:00–19:30

Grounded in Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy, William Kindermans’s book Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations (1987), and Michel Butor’s Dialogue avec 33 variations de Ludwig van Beethoven sur une valse de Diabelli (1971), the Deleuzabelli Variations expose Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, op. 120, to several musical encounters, letting other times and styles interfere with Beethoven and making unconnected connections happen. In the time frame of the original piece, diverse techniques of elimination, substitution, and replacement are used. Alongside interventions from other times and styles, including composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Cramer, six new pieces were especially written for this performance.

The title is a triple homage: to Beethoven, Gilles Deleuze, and Anton Diabelli. Beethoven’s music functions as the backbone 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.

Pre-concert screening: Untimely Variations, an interview with Paulo de Assis by Thomas Heiber and Gerhard Schabel.

Paulo de Assis is a trained concert pianist and musicologist with wider interests in composition and philosophy. As an artist-researcher he is the Principal Investigator of the European Research Council–funded project Music Experiment 21, which challenges orthodox definitions of musical works and their renderings. Active as a soloist and pianist-conductor, he has authored two books (on the music of Luigi Nono and Camillo Togni) and edited seven others (on music notation and contemporary music). He is a research fellow at the Orpheus Institute, Ghent.

Web: musicexperiment21.eu. Email: paulo.deassis@orpheusinstitute.be

HERMESensemble Antwerp is a collective of contemporary music and art. The repertoire and performance practice of the classical avant-garde forms the starting point of the productions, but the ensemble strives consciously to shift artistic boundaries: on the one hand seeking confrontations with early music, pop, and non-Western music, on the other hand examining synergies with other disciplines, such as (music) theatre, visual arts, video, film, and multimedia. Many of their concerts are characterised by an explicit visual character, such as the projects with PELLICULES. The concerts will often take place in appropriate locations, such as in an industrial architectural space or in an exhibition. HERMESensemble has developed its expertise in contemporary musical expression by investigating the performance practices of the American, Belgian, German, French, and Italian avant-gardes. It creates and presents contemporary works by several internationally renowned composers and artists, usually in close personal collaboration. In addition, the range of activities of the ensemble prioritises promoting young home-grown talent and creating new Flemish work. Hermes Ensemble is supported by the Flemish Government.

Web: hermesensemble.be. Email: info@hermesensemble.be