Contemporary musician Sascia Pellegrini is no stranger to crossing frontier: bred in Italy and now based in
Hong Kong, his music traverses the borders of media and genre. A
classically trained percussionist, pianist and composer, with two
consecutive scholarships from IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et
Coordination Acoustique/Musique, France) under his belt, Sascia sculpts
contemporary soundscapes with digitally-processed backtracks, live
electronics and videos in combination with his technically-flawless and
physically intense percussion playing. He has earned the reputation
of the percussion wizard not only by his immaculate mastery of
traditional percussion instruments but also his uncanny ability to turn
most unconventional materials into his music paraphernalia.
Having performed in Italy, France, German, Japan and China, Sascia
invites his worldwide audience to experience his unpretentious and
innovative land of music. In his new-found home Hong Kong, he
collaborates with all walks of musicians, artists and establishments
such as Hong Kong University, Chinese University and Hong Kong New Music
Ensemble. His composition and performance in recent events
such as MOBILE M+ and Sonic Anchor #11 have gained him growing critical
acclaims and recognition. Dancer Xiao Chengyong
(Sarah) was born in Hunan, China, now studies at The Hong Kong Academy
for Performing Arts majoring in contemporary dance. Xiao started her
dance training at the age of 6 at The Xiao Du Juan School of Arts in
Hunan. In 2008, she found her passion for Contemporary dance by which
she was motivated to come to HK to further develop her skills as a
dancer. During her stay in HK, She has been trained in
different genres of dance, such as contemporary dance, ballet and
Chinese dance, and her talent as a performer and a improviser has
enabled her to join different dance programs and projects. In
2010, she was involved in the Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance
Company’s Youth Dance program which allowed her to perform in several
communities in Hong Kong. Later on she performed in Henan-America Dance
Festival and Beijing Modern Dance Festival in which she premiered her
first Duet work; this year she has received a scholarship to join The
Impulz Danz Festival in Vienna. The choreographers and artists whom she
has collaborated with include Sang jijia(China), Laura Aris Alvarez
(Spain), Kate March( USA), David Liu(USA), John Utans(Australia).
PROGRAMME: – Astathis for snare drum, visual and electronics – Mimesis Diesis Diegesis for singing bowl, visual and electronics – Col Legno Battuto for wood board, visual and electronics – Melange Métaphonique for snare drum, singing bowl, wood board, visual and electronics – Face_II_Face for piano and dancer – Poeme Cymbalique for Cymbal Orchestra – Continuo for bass drum, visual and electronics – Sub for Chinese cymbal, visual and electronics – Readings for paper sheets, visual and electronics – PostMortem for bass drum, Chinese cymbal, paper sheets, visual and electronics
NOTES BY THE ARTIST:
The four compositions at the beginning and the last four on the
programme today, form part of a work in progress related to the
perception of sound and vision and to the perception of words, languages
and gestures. The complete cycle will be twelve pieces comprised of six
solo pieces, three solo extensions and three pieces for groupings of:
snare drum, singing bowl and wooden board; Chinese cymbal, bass drum and
paper sheets; timpani, vibraphone and metal sheet. The pieces focus on
the possibilities of a single instrument, with some articulations
enhanced by the use of electronics. Visuals and narration become a
jigsaw puzzle of references, a dialogue between media. Certain pieces
refer to linguistic, phonetic and philological questions, and in the
end, provide philosophical and meta-else unspoken answers. What is
audible is linked to those questions. Words and voice become sound and
inner music. The instruments become a projection of the words of the
narrator. Moreover, the visuals act on and re-act to narration and
music. The border between the four (instrument, visuals, electronics and
voice [narrative]) becomes fluid and illusory. Roles (who plays what,
who conducts whom, who leads where) lose their meaning. The pieces
interleave elements to create a cloud, a cluster of information, and an
area for reflection. The fifth piece in programme is
choreography I have conceived as a dialogue between piano and body
movement, between two humans (or some other beings maybe), between
diverse energies encountering each other in a dialogue of knightly
challenge, a “singolar tenzone”, a duel to define roles. The
sixth piece is the beginning of my new cycle “Orchestral solos”: single
instruments that by cloning themselves become an orchestra. I start with
my Orchestra of Cymbals, for (many) cymbals and live electronics.
The last four pieces are part of the cycle for instruments and
materials: this second section is dedicated to bass drum, Chinese cymbal
and paper sheets. I hope you will enjoy the evening!
Free tickets registration at: http://bit.ly/1gaIsXJ
(Photo on top by Jesse Clockwork)