Music Preview: Cut & Splice: Grúndelweiser @ ICA

Lindsey
By Lindsey Last edited 148 months ago
Music Preview: Cut & Splice: Grúndelweiser @ ICA


Billed as "a four-day journey into the hive-minds of two of the most intriguing international composer groups operating in the world today" this is one of those experimental, avant garde, bewildering but horizon-expanding events the ICA does so well.

'Cut & Splice' is presented by Sound and Music and Radio 3, bringing together composers and musicians from two music collectives - Grúpat who are based in Ireland and all met at a 1999 rave in the Dublin mountains and the internationally based, eclectic and significantly quiet Wandelweiser. The aim is to "draw connections between the work of the leading figures of the historic avant garde and the key exponents of today’s radical music and sound" - i.e. mix them up to see what comes out wash, sonically speaking.

The programme features music, films, exhibition and performances from a whole host of artists from these two collectives. But what will it sound like? We tried to find out. Diving randomly into Grúpat's website, we found ourselves inside the Milker Corporation confronted by this recipe for food preparation, which is actually a radical form of musical notation and performance instruction. Over at Wandelweiser, we tried to understand music that investigates silence and contemplation.

We're none the wiser but this is music so contemporary that it's through classical and out the other side. Most interesting.

Cut & Splice: Grúndelweiser - Exploring the collective in modern composition and sound art is at the ICA from 3 – 6 November 2011. Individual Day (advance) £6.50 / £5.50 ICA members, £8 on the door. Festival Pass £20 / £19 ICA Members.

Last Updated 03 November 2011