Hostující přednáška, HAMU, 4. 5. 2009, 10:30, katedra skladby 2020

Cellist Hugh Livingston will talk about techniques and mechanics of string instrument sound, and their relationship to contemporary composition. What is the baseline of cello sound? What is the domain of the interpreter and the domain of the composer? Hugh will exhaustively analyze the parameters of stringplaying, with examples from Western and Asian literature. He will talk about how a composer can achieve desired results, and show some extremes of  intent. How does the composer create a 'new instrument', with electronics, with outer reaches of sound and technique, with new sonic ideas? Hugh calls this concept "the instrument within". Finally, the limits and possibilities of notation will be discussed.

Other local events:

06 May. Galerie Skolska 28.

American cellist Hugh Livingston premieres his new improvised work Fragile in a performance and discussion. The sounds explore the limits of cello sonority, creating a fragile edge that redefines traditional bel canto expressivity. Literally on the precipice, it unites Lachenmann, Xenakis, Feldman, questioning what cello should sound like and what virtuosity is. It is finally, fragile.

Fragile will be presented along with an 8-channel sound installation created for the gallery based on Hugh's sound collections from Slavonice.

Hugh Livingston is a cellist and composer of unusual operas and public sound installations. Hugh has  degrees in contemporary music from the California Institute of the Arts and the University of California San Diego. Hugh graduated cum laude in music from Yale, the recipient of the Yale Bach Society Prize for excellence in musicianship and contribution to musical life. His areas of interest are spatialization, the nature-music continuum, improvisation, electroacoustic music, and Asian fusion, particularly Japanese and Chinese. Hugh composes situational music, responses to spaces, artists, architecture and design, history and people. He has catalogued 120 different pizzicato techniques for the cello and conducted extensive research in China. Hugh will present CelloHouse Slavonice 2010 at the Centre for the Future in Slavonice, September 2010. Centropa cellists and media artists will be invited to participate in a weeklong seminar on new music, improvisation, and sound installation, with a daylong final performance.