Illusion and reality
PROGRAM
Cathy van Eck: Music Stands (2011)
Helmut Lachenmann: Salut für Caudwell (1978)
Andrés Nuño de Buen: New Piece (2024/WP)
Katherine Young: Earhart & the Queen of Spades (2016)
“Illusion and reality” aims to explore the profound ideas of illusion and reality that permeate our society today. In a world increasingly immersed in the virtuality of social networks, artificial intelligence and mixed reality, this musical project invites us to reflect on the way we perceive and connect with reality. The program consists of works by composer:s Cathy van Eck, Katherine Young, Helmut Lachenmann, and Andrés Nuño de Buen, to whom we have commissioned a new work.
In her work, Cathy van Eck uses interactive technologies to challenge and expand the boundaries of music. In doing so, she creates soundscapes that challenge our perceptions by making normally inaudible everyday objects audible and electronically alienating them. Katherine Young, on the other hand, creates captivating electronic soundscapes that explore multi-layered reality and immerse us in a world of textures and emotions. Helmut Lachenmann’s “Salute für Caudwell” (1978), a modern classic of the guitar repertoire, with its reference to the Marxist literary critic Christopher Caudwell and his book “Illusion and reality” (1937), points to a historical perspective that is gaining new relevance in current discourse. The new piece by Andrés Nuño de Buen for two electric guitars, on the other hand, was commissioned in cooperation between guitARS_lab and the Belgian duo Stoom, bringing a very special potential to explore different readings and approaches to the score. The electric guitar, with its multiple sonic identities and cultural influence, becomes the perfect vehicle to explore stylistic preferences, contextual references and social attitudes.
“Illusion and reality” invites an exploration of the complexities of perception and reality in our society. The compositions engage in a profound dialogue between music, philosophy and human experience, challenging our preconceived notions and stimulating reflections on the nature of our existence.