Program Notes

In Outside-time sketch, my intention is to match live instruments with electronics not in the direction of creating homogeneous textural chunks, but rather of creating a coexistence of these two units in an organically effective form. For this reason, the two cellos are always prominent throughout the work. Their sound is captured by a Max4Live device developed by me which randomizes the parameters of a Delay plugin during the performance (real-time) yielding the electronic sound thereby.

The rhythmic and tone material of the work consists of quasi improvised outside-time structures: Iannis Xenakis coined this term, to characterize generic material, not formed into an organized or systematized pattern. There is no fixed media part; everything is generated with the help of the device led by the passion of the two cellists.

Cello 1: Yelda Özgen Öztürk
Cello 2: Bike Öner
Premiere: 10/06/2022, Usmanbaş hall, ITU MIAM, Istanbul

Outside - Time Sketch, for two cellos and live processing (2022)

“A Sketch of Two” is a work for bassoon and laptop, commissioned by Christoph Karl Wichert, a bassoonist. The piece results from several discussions and tryouts between the composer and the bassoonist, which reflects the title. It also represents the interaction between the bassoonist and the program, creating a sketch and proposing new ideas every time. The music starts with a pitch that is to be determined by the bassoonist based on what he thinks is suitable for the day and the venue. It then progresses into more of a fixed score and ends with an exchange of ideas between the bassoonist and the program. This structure suggests the process of creating an unended sketch within a fixed framework, forming a cloud of ideas and, in this context, sound.

A Sketch of Two

How can form  evolve under a nowadays psychological framework? Is it more difficult to compose long or short pieces and is there any morality in it that serves as a proof of the composer’s skills? My musical interests are focused on a personal composition method that started from my late integrated masters years in Thessaloniki and which eventually was the subject of my PhD research in York. It used to serve as a preliminary stage for an instrumental composition; however, since 2017 the “Selective Subtraction of tone and rhythmic material” composition technique serves as a tool to create but mostly to sculpt the tone and rhythmic material of the instruments that will interweave with the electronics. As its name signifies it is based on a subtractionprocess that gives a certain amount of material. This material forms the basis for an evolutionary process where finally, all these elements are combined in order to give the final piece. Under the scope of electronics it incorporates computational methods like Csound software, Ableton Live and MaxMasp (Sound Synthesis private patch library) in the direction of finding new ways of pattern development and thus evolution of the form.

For examples of the Selective Subtraction of tone and rhythmic material” composition technique enter here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/alutmo3h0ue30ec/AAC-LmZExoUMBr6lVgabz1YOa?dl=0

Sound Synthesis private maxmsp library: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvxYMmv9_S-sgfRtKB-Vq4t2l1PE_g?e=o8BN6A 

PhD thesis: http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20111/
Website: https://manolisekmektsoglousite.wordpress.com/
email: ekmektsoglou8@gmail.com 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Manolis Ekmektsoglou studied composition in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece with Dimitri Papageorgiou and in the University of York (PhD) with Thomas Simaku. He also spend a year in Hannover studying acoustic and electronic music (Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover), with Professors Ming Tsao, Gordon Williamson and Joachim Heintz. He is currently Assistant Professor of Acoustic and Acousmatic composition in the Technical University of Istanbul, Department of Sonic Arts, Center for advanced study in Music (M.I.A.M.).

Manolis participated in the “Labor Beethoven 2017-2020” project, funded and organized by the Berlin Academy of the Arts. The project comprised participants from Basel, Tel-Aviv and Thessaloniki. This intensive 4-year period included commissions and performances from various ensembles in Germany and Switzerland and culminated in a final performance that took place in Berlin in 12-13/04/2020. For more info enter here: https://www.labor-beethoven-2020.de/de, and for the final output: In Love…, for voice, ensemble and mixed media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORJfUvJ0iUo, Circus Story: Taming the animals, for alto saxophone, percussion and fixed media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhBiIEBGrY4

His pieces have been performed in Greece (DissonArt ensemble, New Hellenic Quartet, Off Borders Festival for electronic music in Thessaloniki, Music in Motion festival for dance and music, Athens), Germany (Neues Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Earth, Sky, Space festival, Hitzacker Musiktage 2018), Italy (Soundiff project), Hong Kong (AMGA ensemble), Spain (ensemble Regards Mixtur festival 2016), Austria (NAMES ensemble, Synaesthesis ensemble, Crossroads festival), Iran (International Electronic Music Festival, Reza Korourian Awards 2017), and the UK (Kinetic nights festival, Manchester, Andersson – Gallois – De Saram trio, Diotima Quartet, Psappha ensemble). Upcoming activities comprise performance of the existing work Ripping…having…standing…oben!!, for ensemble in Versipel New Music festival, Louisiana (postponed for 2021 due to pandemics) and a premiere of a work specifically written for MISE-EN festival, New York (postponed for 2021 due to pandemics). 

For a detailed CV follow this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hprdtba1p9plqhj/CV.pdf?dl=0

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