An experimental re-working of Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto
The ‘Emperor Remixed’ project presents the fifth piano concerto by Ludwig von Beethoven (‘Emperor’, Opus 73), a classic of German musical history, in a remixed version which combines classical piano, electronic music and film.
This musical revision of Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto is based on the original score, transmitted entirely in the form of midi files. The interaction of classical instruments with computer-generated sounds generates an autonomous body of sound, which feeds off the dialog between the different musical worlds to take on a life of its own.
Pianist Ueli Wiget (Ensemble Modern) plays the pianoforte part of the original as written in the score, representing the tonality both of the piece and of the solo instrument. Renowned German electronic and multi-media artists Rechenzentrum (1997-2008) re-assembled the orchestra part, using techniques taken from contemporary electronic music and film.
A dynamic filmic composition accompanies the musical sequences, creating a “visual piano concerto”, which is searching, through its analysis of the music and visualisation of audio signals, for the very essence of the performance situation.
The composition was commissioned by the Goethe Institute as part of the “Germany in Japan” cultural program 2005/2006.
Performances of ‘Emperor Remixed’:
Seoul (KR), Beijing (CH), Kyoto & Tokyo (JP) – 2006
Berlin, Frankfurt & Heidelberg (DE) – 2007
Copenhagen, (DK) – 2008
