Academy

Clemens Gadenstätter, born in 1966, studied composition in Vienna and then Stuttgart under Helmut Lachenmann. He teaches at the University of Music Graz as a professor of Analysis, Music Theory, and Composition.

Gadenstätter's musical undertaking explores the compositional resynthesis of perception, sensation and feeling. For him, this should bring together the trinity of listening, comprehension, and composition.

His recent work concerns: the transformation of acoustically triggered, pre-formed feelings (in the series "E.P.O.S.: les premiers cris, les cris des lumières, les derniers cris" for different ensemble arrangements); the notion of the banal (in the pieces "Semantical Investigations 1&2", as well as the essay "Was heißt hier banal" ["What do we mean banal?"]); the poly-modality of listening (in "häuten, schlitzen" for string quartet 1&2, "ES" for voice and ensemble); as well as musical iconography (in the series "ICONOSONICS 1 – 3"). His larger works thematize these ideas in multimedia form, such as "daily transformations" for voice, ensemble, electronics, text, and film, with Lisa Spalt (text) and Anna Henckel-Donnersmark (film). The piece "Break Eden – Songs of Sirenes" is a hybrid work in-between a radio-play, a concept-album and a classical song-cycle. Latest works are dealing with the phenomena of intimacy as a grounding experience of our social existence. The flute-concerto "making of – intimacy" (2021/22) and the piece for ensemble "building bodies" (2023) work on the most inner experiences transferred into the acoustic space. A staged-work is in production ("NERONE" – a staged work for singers, speakers, stage, space, ensemble, music-machines and electronics).

The intimate as collective and society-trained categories sensations are focused in recent works as "making of – intimacy" for Flute and orchestra (2022/23). Body constructions as collectively driven processes are focused in "building bodies" for voice, electric guitar and ensemble (2023/24).

Gadenstätter's work has been commissioned by (amongst many others): The Donaueschingen Festival for contemporary music, Manifeste/IRCAM – Paris, Musik der Jahrhunderte - Stuttgart, WDR - Witten Days for New Chamber Music, Wien Modern, ORF/RSO (The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra),  Musikbiennale Berlin, Salzburg Festspiele, Musikprotokoll-Graz, Music-biennale Zagreb, Musikbiennale Salzburg, Steirischer Herbst, Ultima - Oslo, and more.

 

clemensgadenstaetter.eu

Portrait by Andreas Karl (PDF)

 

 

Clemens Gadenstätter will be present at impuls between February 22nd and March 1st.