rau·sch·end 2025–1898

Kagel was inspired, on the one hand, by the string instruments with sound funnels used for the early gramophone recordings, the most famous of which is the so-called Stroh violin. On the other hand, in order to counter the ‘well-organised sound world of adults’, the participation of a vocally ‘untrained’ school class (10-13 years old) was important to him. The creative and participatory exploration of sound processes should give rise in the children to ‘the desire to express themselves’.

‘The essential starting point […] should be the attempt to explore the musical imagination of the participating child so intensively that he or she – alone or in a group – begins to suggest acoustic tasks on his or her own initiative.’ The score contains a whole catalogue of improvisation suggestions, ranging from flutter tongue variations to different types of laughter, affirmation and negation, variations of a motif with increasingly ‘incorrect’ singing, whistling, agitated breathing and crying, and canon scale imitations. Although Kagel demands that the children rehearse ‘extensively’ before a performance, only relatively short excerpts of his extensive exploration concept can be heard in the piece rau·sch·end 2025–1898 itself.

Abril Padilla will compose a second piece for children’s voices and speaking tubes entitled DE·MO, based on Kagel’s sound material, in collaboration with the children. While in Kagel’s piece the children’s voices react to the music that is heard, in DE·MO they are encouraged to speak the word or words (‘des mots’) themselves – also in different languages. In addition to exploring the various constellations and confrontations that arise from the groupings I/WE/THEY, the children are invited to collect their own wishes regarding their environment (family, neighbourhood, school, city, world and environment). These topics are then discussed together and translated into corresponding words, images and sounds. In addition to conveying messages, the aim is also to show how artivism can be used to attract attention through artistic means. To be heard, in addition to a larger group, acoustic amplification is often necessary. This is achieved by using large sound funnels built by the children in one of the workshops and explored acoustically and scenically in DE·MO.

Both pieces will be developed as part of a two-and-a-half-month educational project in cooperation with gare des enfants by Abril Padilla, Noëmi Schwank and Thilo Hirsch with a Basel primary school class (4th grade) and performed together with ensemble arcimboldo in three performances at Museum Tinguely.

The project rau·sch·end 2025–1898 is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further information:
arcimboldo.ch

Dates

October 25 & 26, 2025
Museum Tinguely, Basel