The subtlety of the musical languages of Naomi Pinnock and Nuño Fernández Ezquerra invites one to sink into the slowly unravelling sounds whilst locking into their various haptic textures. Their music does not impose itself upon the listener, but tempts one to give in to its almost microscopic clarity.
Nuño Fernández Ezquerra wrote Il tempo si riversa verso un orizzonte infinito in 2024 for Ensemble Proton and has now been engaged for a larger work as part of the revamped Protonwerk commissioning scheme, supported by Pro Helvetia over the last 15 years.
«Immersion, mysticism, disembodiment, the search for other levels through sound and aesthetic experience – the exploration of these concepts has always been rooted in my work, but in recent times it has led to longer, even concert-length works, in which the investigation of extended forms makes it possible to get completely lost in a sea of sound.»
Noteworthy for the Proton jury in particular is his ability to organise time with traditional compositional means. The new work will integrate live electronics and lighting design.
Naomi Pinnock will be writing for Ensemble Proton for the first time. Erosion, as a metaphor, has been seeping into her work over the past ten years. Pinnock is fascinated by geological formations that are formed by the gradual processes of abrasion, corrosion and general weathering:
«Hoodoos gradually take shape when water freezes and thaws cyclically in the rocks over thousands of years. Sinkholes, often called dolines, are formed by the slow dissolution of rock in karst terrain. These places, where erosion has left clear traces in the landscape, can also become sacred, liminal spaces, or passages to the underworld. A material world that is disintegrating and dissolving. How can these erosive phenomena be reflected in music?»
The concert experience is enhanced by a group meditation at the start of the concert. The sound sculpture Tectonic SYNK by Jens Feldhaus and a Latex Cube invite visitors to immerse themselves and lose themselves in the experience before and after the concert.
Registration for Latex Cube - 23.06.2026 - Dampfzentrale Bern
Registration for sound sculpture Tectonic SYNK - 23.06.2026 - Dampfzentrale Bern
Registration for Latex Cube - 24.06.2026 - Walcheturm Zürich
