One of the strengths of Wratislavia Cantans is the immense diversity of the repertoire presented. In addition to early music, you can hear pieces by composers considered classics of the last century as well as works by trend-setting contemporary artists. Tonight, the sextet Les Percussions de Strasbourg, active since 1962, will perform. The programme features works by Agata Zubel, Noémie Ettlin, and Yijoo Hwang.
The Only project transcends categories: It has no hierarchy; it features “only” artists, creators, and musicians, without a percussion instrument. Because who says a drummer needs one to practice their art? The artists collaborate to create a concert with their presence, incarnation, bodies, breaths, voices, materials, virtual instruments…
Polish composer, singer, and teacher Agata Zubel is one of the most interesting and important figures on the international music scene. She was born in Wrocław, studied there, and currently teaches in her home city. She collaborates with some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Musikverein Wien. Spray was commissioned in 2023 by Les Percussions de Strasbourg. Its premiere took place in Strasbourg on February 22, 2024. This composition blends elements of performance, music, and visual arts. The instruments used are spray cans, as well as spatulas, brushes, cardboard and sandpaper. Each performer uses them to create images on six blank canvases. The artists’ bodies and movements prove equally important in the piece.
Noémie Ettlin is exceptionally sensitive to music and rhythm. She also recognises the almost choreographic aspect of a percussion concert, in which each musician performs their set with precision and delicacy, participating in a structured instrumental ballet. Banquise is a body score based on the musicians’ individual personalities and unique technical skills to understand and interpret their complex rhythms. In Yijoo Hwang's Désordre, the musicians use body percussion to evoke the various disruptions and imperatives that intrude on our daily lives. We need time to concentrate, yet our lives are constantly inundated with various stimuli. Often, it’s our own thoughts that disturb us. Is it possible to free ourselves from all pressure and fully dedicate ourselves to our activities? Is everything that seems to bother us really useless?
