A Sonic Ritual
Arrangement von Maximilian Haft
The piece "Earth Ears: A Sonic Ritual" from the American Composer Pauline Oliveros and written in 1983, is for open instrumentation and explores the subtlety of a space and time continuum. Deployed in the eight corners of the Berner Münster’s tower, each musician enters into a structured improvisatory dialogue. The score calls for the musicians to be spread out in the performance space so that the sounds pass through the audience from player to player. We therefore imagine the role of the Ensemble as a sort of installation, allowing for the audience to pass through and experience the sound from all corners of the Gewölberaum im Münsterturm. The specialized acoustics and architecture of the Berner Münster is an ideal setting for the performance of this piece, and is a unique auditory and sensorial experience for the audience.
