North American Premiere
Inside Light
Karlheinz Stockhausen
June 5, 2024 - June 15, 2024
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
Few hold as much of an esteemed role in the evolution of contemporary composition and studio technique than Karlheinz Stockhausen. One of the most experimental and progressive composers of the 20th century, his innovations forever changed approaches to utilizing electronics in art music and the ways in which we listen. This classical renegade’s influence can still be felt today, inspiring everyone from Björk to Aphex Twin, Miles Davis to Animal Collective, and more.
His magnum opus Licht—a seven opera cycle each representing a day of the week—is an epic 29-hour work for vocal, instrumental, and electronic forces that is rarely performed given its length and the different configurations of musicians and spaces needed.
Several electronic compositions from this opus, performed by one of his original collaborators Kathinka Pasveer, are presented as two parts on separate evenings or in a full marathon with transformative lighting and video projections to fully immerse the audience in the all-encompassing sound and surroundings. The vastness of the Wade Thompson Drill Hall is the perfect setting to fully realize these works as Stockhausen so boldly envisioned in their highly-anticipated North American premieres.
Performances
Individual Parts
Wednesday–Thursday at 7:00pm
Marathon
Saturday, June 8 at 4:00pm (Part 1)
and 7:30pm (Part 2)
After Hours Marathon
Friday, June 14 at 6:30pm (Part 1)
and 10:00pm (Part 2)
Program & Run Time
Part 1: All-Stockhausen Program
Montags-Gruss
Unsichtbare Chöre from Donnerstag
Mittwochs-Gruss
2 hours and 30 minutes with intermission
Part 2: All-Stockhausen Program
Freitags-Gruss
Freitags-Abschied
2 hours and 45 minutes with intermission
Marathon
6 hours and 30 minutes, including intermissions and a one-hour dinner break
Performance Details
Seating will be on cushions and backjacks directly on the floor. Participants can move freely throughout the space.
“As the hours pass, you are drawn into the ritual … your whole life has become Stockhausen.”
The Financial Times (UK)
“[Stockhausen’s] score, a richly layered aural experience makes a case for music’s ability to shake your bones, tickle your ears and take hold of your consciousness.”
The New York Times
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In the News
Artists & Creatives
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Composition
Karlheinz Stockhausen
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Sound Projection
Kathinka Pasveer
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Spatial Installation and Lighting Design
Urs Schönebaum
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Video Design
Robi Voigt
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Sound Engineer
Reinhard Klose
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Original Concept
Pierre Audi
Related Events
Making Space at the Armory
Sunday, June 9, 2024, at 3:00pm
Artist Talk: Inside Light
One of Stockhausen’s original collaborators and directors of the Stockhausen Foundation for Music, sound projectionist Kathinka Pasveer, is joined by trumpeter and Stockhausen scholar Joe Drew to examine Stockhausen’s masterful electronic compositions, realizing them at the Armory, and his enduring influence and legacy.