November 25th, 2005 
Fabrik Heeder, Krefeld
wenn der Fluss zum Meer wird (2005)
DanceProject
Sabine Seume, choreography
Gerhard Stäbler, music
World premiere

 

November 20th, 2005 
Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf
BRÜCHE (2005)
JET - DanceProject
Ulla Geiges, choreography
Gerhard Stäbler, music
World premiere

 

November 18th, 2005 
Musikhochschule, Hannover
]dazzling dawn[ (2005)
for soprano and ensemble
Ellen Aagaard, soprano
Thomas Rimul, conductor
Ensemble Ernst, Norway
World premiere

 

November 12th, 2005
EarPort, Duisburg-Innenhafen
PerformanceConcert
– Belfast Breakfast Songs (1986)
EarPort Ensemble with Christina Ascher, voice

 

November 11th, 2005 
Marktkirche Essen
MusicParadise
PerformanceConcert
– Belfast Breakfast Songs (1986)
Christina Ascher, mezzo soprano
– various performance works
EarPort Ensemble, Duisburg

 

November 8th - 11th, 2005 
Kunsu Shim·Gerhard Stäbler
Workshop, project "Tonleiter",
organized by the cultural office of the city of Essen
Käthe Kollwitz Schule, Essen

 

November 5th, 2005 
EarPort, Duisburg-Innenhafen
Concert
pièces chaudes (2005)
for piano with four hands, dedicated to Aya and Kozue Hara
Aya and Kazue Hara, piano

 

November 4th, 2005 
Zentralbibliothek (central library, music department), Essen
"LEBENSZEICHEN"
Two Portraits
Kunsu Shim and Gerhard Staebler

Kunsu Shim
Nr. 41 from 54 things (2005)
for piano solo
world premiere
trace, elements (II) (2005)
for piano with 4 hands, dedicated to Aya and Kozue Hara
world premiere
soft moving noise (2005)
a performance with daily life objects
Nr. 11 from 54 things (2005)
for piano solo
world premiere
zwischen sitzen (2005)
a performance with audience
world premiere

Gerhard Stäbler
pièces chaudes
for piano with four hands, dedicated to Aya and Kozue Hara (2005)
world premiere
kollaps (2005)
a performance with texts by the Dada poets Raoul Hausmann (Austria), Isang (Korea), and Hirato Renkichi (Japan)
world premiere
...leaving the gold... (2004)
for voice, piano and 5 CD-players
simultaneaously with 
softspeaker for microphone and loudspeaker
by Kunsu Shim (2002)

 

October 28th, 2005 
TEI Rethymnon, Crete
elements (acute) for tape (1999)

 

October 27th, 2005 
Cultural House Tromsø – New Music Organisation Tromsø
White Spaces
Ellen Aagaard, soprano
Tromsø Symphony Orchestra stringquartet
Norwegean premiere
www.tromso.kulturhus.no

 

October 22nd, 2005 
Friedenskirche Köln-Mülheim 
Hart auf Hart - Graphic score for ensemble (1986) 
Ligias Handtaschenorchester

 

October 7th, 2005 
TESLA, Klosterstraße 71, Berlin 
footprints I (1999) 
Performance in the frame of a project called "poems for feet" by the Maulwerker Berlin.

 

September 16th, 2005 
Schreyahner Herbst 2005
20 years Schreyahner Herbst
"Gedächtnismaschinen"
concert
INTERNET x3/SCRAP (2001)
for bass flute, cello, and piano
world premiere
Cologne Connection
Carin Levine, bass flute
Michael Moser, cello
Kristi Becker, piano

 

Soundwall – a social performance, in Trier
(September 2005)

The collective project, Soundwall – a social performance, under the artistic direction of and with compositions by Gerhard Stäbler, will take place on September 2/3. A high-rise building in Mariahof, a district of Trier, will be artistically enlivened and musicalized. Contributors will include professional, new-music and jazz musicians, a popular Trier "mouthart" band (Leiendecker Bloas, under the direction of Helmut Leiendecker), members of several choirs, the Music Association Tawern, as well as building occupants, who through the use of their radios will add spice to the musical event.

The initial project impetus was based on bringing artistic enhancement to urban back-courtyards, which sometimes exist in rather sad, damp and dark conditions. Beginning with the observation that the sounds and noise of the inhabitants – those of running radios, television or banging kitchen utensils, for example – produce a pleasant soundscape, Stäbler will stage an approximately one-hour long artistic event. Through the cooperation with inhabitants the project can also help to span the traditional chasm between "entertainment" and "serious" culture. 

Soundwall – a social performance, belongs to the cultural project series "SCHW!NG" of the fabric company Trier. A sociological study conducted by the University of Trier, will accompany the project. The project development as well as the evening performances will be documented in a radio feature production, broadcast by SWR 2. 

When: September 2/3
Where: on the grass in the back courtyard of the high-rise building on Mariahof 69/71; entrance price: €5 (reg.), €3 (discounted)

 

"auf dem wasser, ein gesicht"
(July 2005)

Kunsu Shim and Gerhard Stäbler - composers from Korea and Germany ­ have long lived and worked together, mutually conceiving, planning and presenting performance events. auf dem wasser, ein gesicht (on the water, a face), a piece for koto, is their first joint composition. Due to the characteristics of the instrument itself ­ 13 identical strings, freely-movable bridges ­ sounds in this piece emerge onto unstable ground. Initially the strings are divided more or less in the middle. During the performance the bridges wander primarily to the left or the right edge, or to both edges. Thus, the ground under the sounds not only wavers, but continuously changes ­ like a reflection in water…. Nothing remains constant, not even the playing position ­ which moves from the middle to the left or right, or demands both arms be spread to opposite edges of the koto and simultaneously play there.

  

Meet the Composer Gerhard Stäbler
(May 5-12, 2005)

This was the motto of a one-week workshop in May 5-12, 2005 involving instrumentalists and culminating with a row of concerts at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. Composer Gerhard Stäbler was invited by the young, Finnish Professor for Accordion Studies, Janne Rättyä. Under the title, "Works for the Accordion plus…", Gerhard Stäbler himself directed students in the rehearsal and performance of numerous solo and chamber music pieces of his, as well as his ensemble work, Den Müllfahrern von San Francisco (For the Garbage Collectors of San Francisco) for ensemble. These were then presented in three public concerts. Enthusiastic discussions were stimulated by not only the extremely expressive composition, Den Müllfahrern von San Francisco, but, above all else, by Gerhard Stäbler’s own solo performances. Following the Stäbler Portrait, and upon the invitation of Professor Christian Utz, a three-hour seminar was held in the university music sciences department. Its focus was the aesthetic and philosophical foundations of Gerhard Stäbler’s compositional work.

 

May 7 2005

Palais Meran, Florentinersaal Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz (Austria):
Portrait concert "Meet the Composer Gerhard Stäbler" (1. Part)

blütenlos - Monody for soprano, flute, violin, cello and accordion
estratto for bassoon solo
dry leaves for accordion
Zeitsprünge for accordion and percussion
Rachengold - secret score for a performer with a glass of water
Hart auf hart. Graphic score for ensemble

Students of Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst

 

May 9 2005

Minoritensaal, Mariahilfer Platz 3, Graz (Austria)

Den Müllfahrern von San Francisco for Ensemble in the version for 7 instruments by Michael Oesterle

Ensemble für Neue Musik der Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz Conductor: Edo Micic

 

May 10 2005 Palais Meran, Florentinersaal

Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz (Austria):
Portraitkonzert "Meet the Composer Gerhard Stäbler" (2. Part)

...im Spalier... for brass quintet
Warnung mit Liebeslied for harp, accordion and glass-percussion
Rosenkranz - Secret score for one performer with a glass of water
Hart auf hart. Graphic score for ensemble
Zeitsprünge for accordion and percussion
Den Müllfahrern von San Francisco for ensemble in a version by 7 instruments by Michael Oesterle

Students of the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz Ensemble für Neue Musik of the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz Conductor: Edo Micic

 

Gerhard Stäbler and Kunsu Shim in California
(April 22 ­ May 1, 2005)

Gerhard Stäbler and Kunsu Shim traveled to California for a two-week workshop at the Sonoma Academy and four concerts in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz. The two composers were invited by the Pacific Rim Music Festival and the Rabble Fish Theater to visit the western states of the US from mid-April to early May along with two members of the EarPort Ensemble: percussionist Dirk Rothbrust and accordion player Janne Rättyä. The main focus of the concerts and workshops fell on the two composers, who have been working together for more than 15 years. Although their music is based on a wide range of cultures, they create their performances jointly and have increasingly co-written joint compositions over the last five years. The performance program was augmented with references to fluxus artists such as Nam June Paik and George Brecht.
Stäbler and Shim constantly attempt to goad their audiences' imagination and to sensitize their ears and other senses to new and unexpected perceptions and ideas. Accordingly, the highly regarded concerts centered on various simultaneous performances, e.g. Stäbler's hyacinths-liquids.scents for tuned bottles, liquids, and aromas, in combination with Shim's good-bye paradise for plants, Stilleben? for one performer and wie ein Gesicht, wie eine Straße ... ein Geräusch for accordion. Another item was Hommage à Nam June Paik, a medley of performances by both composers. Audiences everywhere responded with enthusiasm, especially at the Pacific Rim Music Festival, given that the performances offered a fresh and up-to-date counterpoint to the otherwise slightly academic chamber music emanating from the Pacific Coast states over the last few years.
The concerts were supported by the German General Consulate and the Goethe Institute in San Francisco, the San Francisco Art Institute, the Rabble Fish Theater (Sonoma County) and Michael Friedenberg (Santa Rosa).

 

April 22, 2005

San Francisco Art Institute:
"Fluxus&Co" ­ PerformanceConcert

EarPort Ensemble:
Janne Rättyä, ­ accordion
Kathie Schmid, Kunsu Shim, Gerhard Stäbler ­ performance

Supported by: San Francisco Art Institute, Deutsches Generalkonsulat San Francisco, Michael Friedenberg, Santa Rosa

 

April 27, 2005

Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County)
"Crossing Point" - A Performance of New Music and Theater
RabbleFishTheater (Sonoma County)

EarPort Ensemble:
Kathie Schmid - performance
Janne Rättyä - accordion
Dirk Rothbrust - percussion
Kunsu Shim, Gerhard Stäbler - performance
Sonoma Academy Student Performers (Santa Rosa) 
Jesse Simpson, Nemo A. Swift - percussion

Supported by:
Deutsches Generalkonsulat San Francisco
Michael Friedenberg, Santa Rosa

 

April 30, 2005

Pacific Rim Music Festival

EarPort Ensemble
Janne Rättyä - accordion
Dirk Rothbrust - percussion
Ulrike Leidel, Kathie Schmid, Kunsu Shim Gerhard Stäbler - performance

Supported by:
Pacific Rim Music Festival
Goethe Institute San Francisco
Michael Friedenberg, Santa Rosa

 

May 1, 2005

Pacific Rim Music Festival:
"Music for Strings" Nam June Paik: Various Works (1962), arranged by Kunsu Shim and Gerhard Stäbler

EarPort Ensemble:
Kunsu Shim, Gerhard Stäbler - performance

Supported by:
Pacific Rim Music Festival
Goethe Institute San Francisco
Michael Friedenberg, Santa Rosa

  

New scores published
(March 2005)

In 2004 and 2005 Stäbler composed many new works. All pieces mentioned are published in the EarPort-edition.

AMTRACKS, an audio-assemblage for 7 vocalists (2004)
]ROSES[ for soprano and percussion quartet (2004) 
]DESIRES[ for soprano and percussion quartet (2004) 
]with what eyes?[ Sappho-Fragments for violin, french horn and organ (or piano) (2004) 
...leaving the gold... for voice, piano, and 5 cd player (2004) 
blütenlos Monody for soprano, flute, violin, cello and piano (or accordion) (2004) 
]LIFE[ for sho, hichiriki and glass chimes (2004) 
SPICES (1ULTRA) for choir, accordion, piano, percussion, string orchestra, electronic sounds, smells and theatrical actions (2004) 
...unter Glas vergessen... for sho and violin (2004-2005) 
Spectre for sho solo (2004/2005) 
purple rugs for sho, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and marimba (2005)

 

Special Adviser for Cultural Exchange 2005: sho player Mayumi Miyata is presently touring Europe with new pieces by composers Gerhard Stäbler and Kunsu Shim on behalf of The Japan Foundation
(February 26 / 27, 2005)

Mayumi Miyata has been nominated "Special Adviser for Cultural Exchange 2005" by The Japan Foundation. Thus she is presently in Europe for concerts, new pieces by composers Gerhard Stäbler and Kunsu Shim with her. The world famous virtuoso is presenting traditional and modern music for sho, a typical Japanese instrument. Concerts take place in Greece, Italy, France, Germany, and Luxembourg. Sho is a mouth organ, a wind instrument made of several bamboo pipes. It has been frequently used in East and South East Asia for more than 3000 years. In Japan sho has been being played as part of orchestral music at court (Gagaku) until today. It’s delicate and celestial and at the same time cluster sounds are basic elements of this ceremonial music. Mayumi Miyata is among the first who enhanced the potentials and the use of sho. An extremely skilled player, she developed a modern type of sho and made it well-known worldwide at the highest stage. Inspired by instrument and musician, Gerhard Stäbler and Kunsu Shim each composed a new piece. On her concert tour throughout Europe, Mayumi Miyata is giving debut performances of these compositions in several countries: Shim’s not I but the wind and Stäbler’s ...unter Glas vergessen... are both written for sho and violin and being played by Mayumi Miyata and Japanese violonist Tomoko Kiba. At the opening of the exhibition "Jaume Plensa" in the "Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum" in Duisburg, Mayumi Miyata is also performing Gerhard Stäbler’s new sho composition Spectre specifically designed for this occasion. Apart from that, she is playing a significant role in Kunsu Shim’s performance Orte for sho, action, and electronic sounds. Apart from traditional music for sho and works by John Cage, Toshio Hosokawa and others, Mayumi Miyata is presenting some more pieces by Gerhard Stäbler when touring Europe, f.e. Palast des Schweigens for sho solo and KARAS.KRÄHEN which is a music for tape accompanied by sho, double bass, and a vocalist. Palast des Schweigens is released on cd by Wergo (2056-2 [edition zkm 6]) and Koch-Schwann (3-6760-2). A height of the Miyata tour, undoubtedly, is the world premiere of the most recent Stäbler piece for ensemble: Purple Rugs, a piece for sho solo, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and marimba. The Luxembourg ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin are playing the piece for the first time on Feb 25th in Bourglinster in Luxembourg and on Feb 26th in the Cultural Centre Neumünster/Luxembourg-Grund.