The concert recording of our world premiere of the new percussion concerto by Oliver Waespi is online
The video of the world premiere of «Volatile Gravity», the new concerto for drum set and orchestra by the Swiss composer Oliver Waespi (*1971), which we premiered on June 27, 2021 at the Stadtcasino Basel with Jojo Mayer (drums) and Baldur Brönnimann (conductor), is now available online.
"Volatile Gravity" is, on the one hand, a concerto for drum set and orchestra in the classical sense, consisting of three interconnected parts. At the same time, it symbolizes a kind of musical exploration of a city. The form of the piece thus unfolds along an imaginary urban space with multiple centers, stretched, as it were, between built-up and unbuilt, structured and open areas.
The first section, "High Frequency Trading," is characterized by frenetic tempos and a stark, often block-like orchestral part, which the soloist contrasts with an energetic, groove-oriented rhythm. After moments of dissolution and renewed forward momentum, the first section concludes with a free cadenza by the soloist. The second section, "Wastelands," follows without interruption. Here, fragmentary motivic cells gradually coalesce into expansive soundscapes over free, improvisational gestures by the soloist. New musical energies gradually emerge from this musical wasteland. Later, free interjections from the woodwinds, aided by the solo percussion, coalesce into a unified pulse, leading into the third section, "New Towns." Unlike the first section, the solo percussion part is more closely interwoven with the orchestral structure, which here articulates itself less in compact blocks of sound and more in pulsating layers and constantly shifting rhythmic cells. A development towards a brighter, more open harmony culminates in another free solo cadenza, before the piece ends in a ghostly, shimmering epilogue.
