„Das spezifische Abenteuer der Kunst: etwas zu sagen, das man, bevor man‘s gesagt hat, keineswegs schon wusste.“ [Albrecht Fabri]
An diesem Abend ist jo.Feuerbach erstmals mit Andrew Levine und dem Theremin+ zu hören, einer Kombination von Theremin und Haken Audio Continuum Fingerboard mit einem modularen Synthesizer, der Timbre-Manipulation in Echtzeit erlaubt.
Einführung in die Elektronik um 19:00 Uhr, Konzertbeginn ca. 19:30 Uhr. Ort: Michael-Kirche, Ellernstraße 44, 30175 Hannover.
Theremin+ wurde möglich gemacht durch ein Zukunftsstipendium vom Landesmusikrat Hamburg, gefördert mit Mitteln der Hamburger Behörde für Kultur und Medien.
After the belated release of my first solo performance ever (Solo #1) here is number two: a live set performed at Subsol Düsseldorf on November 2 2021. …like riding this bicycle!
It took a while but I finally released my first solo recording on Bandcamp, tracked shortly before the beginning of the pandemic, on January 15 2020 at the 378 in Atlanta (GA). Thanks again to Klimchak for inviting me to play at the launch of his Ear Pollen Experimental Music series!
On Sunday I received the amazing news that an independent jury, commissioned by Landesmusikrat Hamburg e.V. has awarded me a stipend for my project “Theremin+”. The grant is funded by Hamburg’s Behörde für Kultur und Medien. Looking forward to research, develop and present new ways to flexibly articulate timbres while playing the Theremin.
This evening brought together Mario Schönhofer and Tobias Weber from Ströme and me.
(Photo: Robert Wiesner)
[1] I began with an introduction to the topic with a focus on connectivity, amplification (PA) and recording. [2] Next up was a presentation of Ströme’s modular Eurorack-rig followed by [3] my presentation of the Theremin+ configuration: Moog Etherwave Plus controlling a modular synth and accompanied by the polyphonic Haken Audio Continuum Fingerboard. [4] After jamming together we decided to do a repeat during the get-together of the VDT on Friday evening (11/05).
My project Theremin+ was made possible through ‘Zukunftsstipendium’, a grant by Landesmusikrat Hamburg, funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media.
I am very happy to be one of the recipients of the “Neustart Kultur” grant of the culture ministry of the German government and GVL for my project offering an interpretation of “Treatise”, the amazing graphical score by Cornelius Cardew.
As part of Saturday’s lineup the trio Andreas Krennerich (saxophones), Andrew Levine (theremin+synth & continuum) and Gert Vierkötter (drums) will be performing at Landhaus Walter (at the South end of Hamburg Stadtpark). We will be happy to see you there 🙂 Tickets can be purchased through this link.
Andrea Hartmann interviewed me and wrote this nice piece for EZ. Here is an English translation…
Otherworldly Sounds Musician and sound engineer Andrew Levine from Hamburg would like to make the Theremin better known
On August 5, 1920, the Russian Lev Termen, who later called himself Leon Theremin, presented the Theremin. An “electronic” instrument that has been used again and again, but is still little known overall. Andrew Levine from Hamburg wants to change that.
BY ANDREA HARTMANN
Hamburg. If you close your eyes and listen to the singularly strange sounds, the tones of a theremin sound like they were plucked from Scifi films, strange worlds – spherical, wavy, often not clear in timbre and pitch. The theremin, an inconspicuous, box-shaped instrument, was first presented on August 5, 1920 and was then used sporadically in film scores and pop music. The Hamburg based musician and sound engineer Andrew Levine would like to bring it to as many listeners as possible. He therefore regularly gives concerts with the instrument in different formations.
Making music without touching your instrument: This is a special feature of the theremin that no other instrument commonly used in Western culture shares. It is played with two hands controlling antennas at varying distances. “What you can do with a theremin is fascinating. It’s like flying without restrictions,” says Levine, who has been playing the instrument for a good ten years. Whimsical, as if from another world, only something for niche musicians: This is the reputation of the theremin, which was invented by the Russian Lev Termen.
Everyone has to find their own approach
Levine wants to get it out of this niche. “It keeps cropping up as a curiosity. It’s such a great freestyle instrument,” he says. During his performances, improvisational music is usually heard, so no finished compositions, but spontaneous works in which each musician adjusts to the other. Levine forms the trio “european electro-acoustic chamber music” with Sebastian Gramss (double bass) and Andreas Krennerich (saxophones), the duo “Klingt wie Industrie” with Eric Cordier (NOL / No Output Laptops) and the “NōKabuki Ensemble” with Benoit Cancoin (double bass) and Korhan Erel (electronics).
Taking lessons the way violinists, flautists or pianists know it makes little sense for theremin players, says Levine. “Everyone has to find out how they want to play,” says the 53-year-old. “You can watch videos, you can of course take lessons, there are theremin schools. But everyone should see for themselves how they find their access, their own technology,” emphasizes Levine, who has lived in Hamburg since 2005 and bought his first theremin, a Moog Etherwave Plus in 2010. That year his then eleven-year-old daughter took part in a music camp; Tonmeister Levine started talking about music with a friend whose son was also there. Anna Mandel is a sculptor and asked Levine at the time if he would be interested in recording her when she would “sing her sculptures”.
“At that time I had come across the theremin a few times,” says Levine. Working together with Anna Mandel and the duo “Skulpturensingen” resulted in regular playing on the instrument. “My many years of playing the violin were useful in this,” says Levine. Because with the string instrument, which he has been playing since he was six, he had acquired two essential skills: “I trained my hearing and I learned to play without frets,” says the musician.
There are no frets on the violin, that is, grip limits as you know them from the guitar. So the instrumentalist has to find the right pitch all by himself. This is at least as difficult with the Theremin, and therefore it is not always possible to achieve clean tones: “You have to be able to correct quickly,” explains Levine. All electrically conductive objects within a radius of up to three meters influenced the magnetic field within which the tones are created.” These objects can also be people,” says Levine, which is why sufficient distance between the audience is important when it comes to playing in a controlled way.
Levine, who was born in New York, grew up in Trier and went to school, sang in choirs and studied Computational linguistics, now makes music with saxophonists, pianists, singers and percussionists, once with the Hamburg organist Manuel Gera. For some time now, Levine has been combining the theremin with an analog synthesizer (Make Noise Music 0-Coast) and a Continuum Fingerboard from Haken Audio, an electronic, keyboard-like instrument.
*** Sidebar ***
The theremin
The electronic instrument was invented by the Russian Lev Termen, who emigrated to the USA and called himself Leon Theremin there. He presented it to the public for the first time on August 5, 1920. The box-shaped instrument is played without contact; The position of the hands in relation to two electrodes (“antennas”) controls the pitch and volume. The tones with a range of four to six octaves are output via loudspeaker. The theremin was played primarily in new music and in film scores, for example in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” from 1945. It gained a larger role in music history in the 1950s with Robert Moog, who started his career building theremins. Only later did he develop his pioneering synthesizers. In the 1970s and 1980s it was also used in pop music, among others with Jean-Michel Jarre.
At this year’s blurred edges festival Andrew will perform together with Andreas Krennerich (saxophones) and Gerd Vierkötter (Percussion) at Künstlerhaus FAKTOR. We are still hoping there might be provisions for a real audience but in any case the evening will be streamed live.
K\L (Photo by Jochen Quast)
This will be the 8th edition of “box full of waves” 🙂
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