[I am the people] for full orchestra (2021).
Conducted by Christian Köhler the Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg [German Film Orchestra Babelsberg], directed by Klaus-Peter Beyer, recorded the work on 27th of April 2021. Head of studio and mix: Falko Duczmal (Mix: 25 August 2021).

Publication in January 2023 as part of the CD "Brandenburg – NEUE MUSIK orchestral" a production by the Brandenburgian Association for New Music (bvnm), directed by Thomas Gerwin.

Programme Note in German:
ALEX NOWITZ: Zur Lesart meiner Orchesterkomposition ‚Ich bin das Volk’ (2021) – Eine Programmnotiz (31. Januar 2022)

"Die Parole ‚Ich bin das Volk’ wandert sprichwörtlich durch das Orchester, wobei sie, von einzelnen Musiker*innen in ihre phonetisch-klanglichen Bestandteile zerlegt, wiedergegeben wird. In der Summe ihrer Erscheinungsformen erfährt die Parole dabei eine Ausdehnung über die Dauer von etwa zwei Minuten hinweg, ehe sich im Anschluss daran dieser Kompositionsprozess rückwärts bewegend vollzieht. Der Wahnwitz, der der Sentenz zugrunde liegt, wird mit musikalisch-klanglichen Mitteln der Verfremdung und Dekonstruktion dargestellt. Nun könnte es der Fall sein, dass wir uns beim Hören des Stückes im Kopf derjenigen Person wähnen, die dem Wahnwitz verfallen ist. Aber das ist nur ein Vorschlag für ‚eine’ Lesart."

Ich bin das Volk

[On the glowing of the embers] for orchestra and smartphones (2022).
Commissioned by the Kammerakademie Potsdam (KAP) conducted by Antonello Manacorda and recorded by rbbKultur as part of the Gala concert of KAP celebrating 20 years at the Nikolaisaal Potsdam on 2 April 2022. 
With kind permission of KAP and rbbKultur.

Vom Glühen der Glut

Franziska Baumann: voice, sensorglove
Alex Nowitz: voice, strophonion
Sten Sandell: voice, piano

Roy Carroll: live-sound, recording & mix

Performance on November 6, 2021 at the St. Matthaeus Kirche Berlin as part of the International Festival for Vocal Performance Art, Sound & Music DESIGNING VOICES
https://designing-voices.nowitz.de/

Baumann/Nowitz/Sandell: Operadicals

[On the multivocal voice]
Alex Nowitz: Stimme
Matthias Bauer: Kontrabass

Text by Alex Nowitz

Recording of the public performance (2 Nov. 2021) by Roy Carroll as part of the DESIGNING VOICES 21 (Potsdam/Berlin), at the Französische Kirche Potsdam
[French Church Potsdam]

Bauer/Nowitz: Zur vielstimmigen Stimme

for 8 loudspeakers and no light

The piece was written for an 8.1 surround sound system in high resolution. The audio file here is a mix-down to stereo in the format of a mp3 file.

Duration in total: 14' 22''

The Labyrinth is based on the live performance work 'Minotaurus', for voice and gesture-controlled live electronics (stimmflieger) in a quadrophonic speaker setting. The 'stimmflieger' is a wireless, digital musical instrument consisting of two Wii controllers and a software patch developed together with Daniel Schorno at STEIM, the studio for electro-instrumental music in Amsterdam. For further informations on the instrument see the article 'Voice and Live-Electronics using Remotes as Gestural Controllers', retrievable at
https://econtact.ca/10_4/nowitz_voicelive.html 

As a result of the first prize of the ECPNM competiton for works composed and performed with live electronics at Gothenburg during the ISCM World New Music Days in 2009, Alex Nowitz was invited by EMS, the Elektronmusikstudion Stockholm, to work with an eight-channel system. Started in May 2010, continued for a couple of days in April 2012 and finished on 6 June  2013 in studio 2, the piece 'Labyrinth' emerged.

Composition and sound poetry: Alex Nowitz
Poem 'Minotaurus': Sonja Kloevekorn
Translations of the poem: Ilka Seifert

Countertenor, voices and stimmflieger: Alex Nowitz
Bass- and doublebass clarinets: Theo Nabicht

Voices from Berlin, Wiesbaden(Germany) and Gothenburg (Sweden)reciting the poem "Minotaurus"
Arabic: father of Fatma Bektas
English: Alex Nowitz
Finnish: Tomi Mäkelä
French: Anne Jardin
German: Alex Nowitz, Ilka Seifert
Greek: Xenia Kourkoumeli
Hebrew: Ophira Zakai
Italian: Brigitte Reineke
Portuguese: Maria Teresa Corceiro (Wiesbaden)
Spanish/catalan: Bibets Ramos
Swedish: Anna Svensdotter (Gothenburg)
Turkish: Fatma Bektas

Premiere: 14 September 2013 at the fabrik Potsdam during new music festival 'intersonanzen' 2013

Acknowledgements: 
Daniel Schorno, Frank Baldé (both STEIM, Amsterdam), Sonja Kloevekorn (Berlin), Ilka Seifert (Berlin), Theo Nabicht (Berlin), Mats Lindström (EMS, Stockholm) and Henk Heuvelmans (Gaudeamus, Utrecht).

Labyrinth

A composition for two male voices, live electronics (strophonion) and pipe organ by Alex Nowitz (DE) & Sten Sandell (SE).

Recorded during the International Festivald for Vocal Performance Art, Sound & Music DESIGNING VOICES at St. Matthaeus Kirche BERLIN, 2021.
https://designing-voices-2021.nowitz.de/

NOWITZ & SANDELL: Sam

A Composition for two female and two male voices, live electronics and piano by Tone Åse (voice & live electronics [Genki Wave Rings]), Franziska Baumann (voice & live electronics [Sensorglove]), Alex Nowitz  (voice & live electronics [Strophonion]) & Sten Sandell (voice & piano).

Recorded during the International Festivald for Vocal Performance Art, Sound & Music DESIGNING VOICES at St. Matthaeus Kirche BERLIN, 2021
designing-voices-2021.nowitz.de/

Operadicals

Angelus Novus (No. 2) is composed and produced 2003.
Published by nowitz-records as part of the CD HOMO LUDENS, 2010.
Composer and performer: Alex Nowitz.

The series of Angelus Novus works is inspired by the painting of same title by Paul Klee. 

All voices by Alex Nowitz. 
Angelus Novus (No. 2) was recorded in Toronto for the dance work Screaming Popes choreographed and directed by Marie-Josée Chartier.
Recording sound engineer: Rick Sacks.

HOMO LUDENS

Angelus Novus

Music for a Singer with Live-Electronics (Stimmflieger) and 10-Speaker Playback (2008)
Part 2 (00:53) 

Track 04 from the CD HOMO LUDENS by ALEX NOWITZ
Music: Alex Nowitz
Text "Tired with all these": William Shakespeare 
Interpreter: Alex Nowitz

Live at the Schaubühne recorded during a May 2008 performance at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz as part of the theatre performance of DIE STADT by Martin Crimp and DER SCHNITT by Mark Ravenhill, both directed by  Thomas Ostermeier. 
Recording and sound engineer: Sven Poser. 

The live electronics as applied is called ‘stimmflieger’ [voice kite] using two Wii-Remotes, a computer, interface and a wireless network. The sampling software was developed from 2007 to 08 together with the great support and help by Daniel Schorno, Frank Baldé and Robert van Heumen at STEIM (STudio for Electro-Instrumental Music) in Amsterdam. 

The video recording of Musik für einen Sänger mit Live-Elektronik und Zuspiel für zehn Lautsprecher as well as the article “Voice and Live Electronics using Remotes as Gestural Controllers” were published in eContact!, an electronic journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (Oct. 2008): 
https://econtact.ca/10_4/nowitz_voicelive.html

MusicFor1Singer+LiveElectronics+Playback_2

Music for a Singer with Live-Electronics (Stimmflieger) and 10-Speaker Playback (2008)
Part 3 (00:35) 

Track 05 from the CD HOMO LUDENS by ALEX NOWITZ
Music: Alex Nowitz
Interpreter: Alex Nowitz

Live at the Schaubühne recorded during a May 2008 performance at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz as part of the theatre performance of DIE STADT by Martin Crimp and DER SCHNITT by Mark Ravenhill, both directed by  Thomas Ostermeier. 
Recording and sound engineer: Sven Poser. 

The live electronics as applied is called ‘stimmflieger’ [voice kite] using two Wii-Remotes, a computer, interface and a wireless network. The sampling software was developed from 2007 to 08 together with the great support and help by Daniel Schorno, Frank Baldé and Robert van Heumen at STEIM (STudio for Electro-Instrumental Music) in Amsterdam. 

The video recording of Musik für einen Sänger mit Live-Elektronik und Zuspiel für zehn Lautsprecher as well as the article “Voice and Live Electronics using Remotes as Gestural Controllers” were published in eContact!, an electronic journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (Oct. 2008): 
https://econtact.ca/10_4/nowitz_voicelive.html

MusicFor1Singer+LiveElectronics+Playback_3

Music for a Singer with Live-Electronics (stimmflieger [voice kite]) and 10-Speaker Playback (2008)
Part 4 (05:15) 

Track 04 from the CD HOMO LUDENS by ALEX NOWITZ
Music: Alex Nowitz
Text: Fragments from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 66 as well as from the composer-performer’s sound poetry.

Interpreter: Alex Nowitz
Live at the Schaubühne, recorded during a May 2008 performance at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz as part of the theatre performance of DIE STADT by Martin Crimp and DER SCHNITT by Mark Ravenhill, both directed by  Thomas Ostermeier. 
Recording and sound engineer: Sven Poser. 

The musicians on the playback are: Peter Rainer (violins), Nikolaus Schlierf (violas), Claudius von Wrochem (cellos), Matthias Bauer (contrabasses), Theo Nabicht (bass clarinets), Hjörleifur Jónsson (percussion).

The music for the playback was recorded at AudioCue Tonlabor Berlin (Rainer Robben) and at the Schaubühne Berlin; sound engineer, recording and mastering: Sven Poser. 

Further Information:
The live electronics as applied is called ‘stimmflieger’ [voice kite] using two Wii-Remotes, a computer, interface and a wireless network. The sampling software was developed from 2007 to 08 together with the great support and help by Daniel Schorno, Frank Baldé and Robert van Heumen at STEIM (STudio for Electro-Instrumental Music) in Amsterdam. 

The video recording of Musik für einen Sänger mit Live-Elektronik und Zuspiel für zehn Lautsprecher as well as the article “Voice and Live Electronics using Remotes as Gestural Controllers” were published in eContact!, an electronic journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (Oct. 2008): 
https://econtact.ca/10_4/nowitz_voicelive.html

MusicFor1Singer+LiveElectronics+Playback_4

Part A+B
Solo For Amplified Bass Clarinet And Fixed Sounds
In Memory Of Danny Wild

Bass Clarinet: Robert W. Stevenson

A Solo For Amplified Bass Clarinet And Fixed Sounds, A+B

For Voice and Live Electronics (Strophonion)
Composed and performed by Alex Nowitz

Documentation of premiere performance by Dietrich Petzold on the
23 August 2020 as part of the intersonanzen 2020 in Potsdam, Germany.

The realisation of the project was made possible by the kind support of the MWKF, the Ministry for Science, Research and Culture of the Land Brandenburg, Germany. 

The material of the composition is based on audio samples of a nightingale recorded by flautist and sound artist Sabine Vogel and the live voice and whistles by the composer-performer.

Programme Note:
“There is a strange tradition being maintained in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. Applying large nets bird hunters catch migrating birds to eat them or to sell them as ’delicacy’ on the market. For years and years a nightingale returned to one spot in our garden in Potsdam — not so in the year before last. It may have died otherwise, but it is also possible that it got caught in bird hunting nets. The composition is based on audio samples of this bird recorded by flautist and sound artist Sabine Vogel. The material is being displayed and manipulated through the application of gesture-controlled live electronics, the strophonion, and being contrasted by the live voice including whistles and a few extended techniques. Based on this tension – between the human being and the bird in absentia – a fictitious sound dialogue evolves. It is clear that this piece aims to denounce the dubious ‘cultural’ technique of hunting birds.” (Alex Nowitz, August 2020)

The artist wishes to thank Sabine Vogel, Dietrich Petzold and Sukandar Kartadinata, Joachim Liebig as well as the MWFK of the Land Brandenburg!

Starting in 2010, the gesture-controlled live electronics, the strophonion, was developed and built at STEIM in Amsterdam. Gradually, since 2014, Berlin-based Sukandar Kartadinata takes care of hardware design and maintenance, software programming and updating the configuration based on Max 7. For more information on the strophonion visit following link:
https://nowitz.de/gesture-controlled-live-electronics
or read the article 
Alex Nowitz: "Designing and Playing the Strophonion: Extending vocal art performance using a custom digital musical instrument", 'eContact! 18.3 — Sonic DIY: Repurposing the Creative Self' (December 2016), Montréal,
https://econtact.ca/18_3/nowitz_strophonion.html.

Photo: Joachim Liebig

The Bird That Did Not Return

Alex Nowitz is a composer of vocal, instrumental and electroacoustic music. His work includes concert music as well as music for opera, dance and theatre. Nowitz is also a vocal performance artist, whistling and singing virtuoso who presents a wide array of extended techniques as well as a  countertenor and tenor voice. He studied music in Germany and USA. Furthermore, supported by STEIM Amsterdam, he developed two gesture-sensitive, electronic instruments one of which is the STROPHONION. For further informations visit www.nowitz.de!

Popular tracks by Alex Nowitz