NACHTPLASMEN for chamber orchestra, Son-Icons and video-score 2011 with

NACHTPLASMEN for chamber orchestra, Son-Icons and video-score 2011 with the
Lucerne Festival Academy, video animation by Goetz Rogge, Light design by Christa Wenger

“Charlotte Hug´s creative method is generally defined by interaction (improvisation) and interdisciplinarity (the interlocking of
music and visual arts). Both of these pillars have had an effect on the conception of “Nachtplasmen”. Here Charlotte Hug is
particularly interested in two aspects:

1) The reactive possibilities of an orchestra as an organism comprised of individualities, especially the role and creative
possibilities for individuals within this collective.

2) The transformation of creative processes at night—see the 40 hour sleep deprivation experiment she carried out, from
which all of the material for the Lucerne project originated – in particular the influence of darkness falling on both the
performers and the audience. The connection between these two “test arrangements” is the way in which the conductor is
no longer the central focus as darkness falls and new ways of inner-orchestral organisation, inspiration and inspiration
have to be found.” Excerpt from the programme by Mark Sattler

                                                „The orchestral musicians involved in “Nachtplasmen” are not only performers
                                               giving a performance, since they are also included in the artistic synthesis and
                                               decision-making process as creative individuals themselves. During the
                                               rehearsals and one-on-one coaching, Charlotte Hug trained the students in
                                               how to read her images (Son-Icons) as scores and how to convey them with
                                               their own musical interpretations and invention.

                                               Each musician is given his own Son-Icon which depicts a visual or musical
                                               quality of the “Nachtplasmen” piece. These Son-Icons can be read as they
                                               are turned, mirrored, inverted forwards or backwards or inverted in
                                               retrograde and then implemented accordingly in the musical performance.

                                               The Son-Icons, which were drawn especially for the “Nachtplasmen” piece, are
                                               transformed into a video-score and projected on to a sky-like screen which
                                               curves itself above the orchestra and the audience. The musicians interact on
                                               several different levels during the performance of the three-part piece: with the
                                               conductor, with the Son-Icons, momentarily as an improvising individual or
                                               collective, and finally with the interactive video-score.

                                                    • In the first part conducted by Charlotte Hug the image- and sculpture-
                                               like Son-Icons and their musical applications are introduced.

                                                    • In the second part the orchestra musicians plunge into the darkness of
                                               the night and give themselves over—now without the conductor—to the
                                               nocturnally coloured Son-Icons which appear modified and animated as a
                                               video-score above the audience and the orchestra.

                                                     • In the last part the conductor makes another appearance and brings
                                               together partially improvised fragments from the middle part. In this section, the
                                               video artist, Goetz Rogge was able to react directly to what had gone before
                                               (the Son-Icons had been transformed spatially, temporally and in terms of the
                                               lighting techniques used) and also create a live remix of the video recording.”

                                                Excerpt from the programme of the Lucerne Festival by Mark Sattler
                                                Radio recording DRS2 of the debut performance, KKL Lucerne, 3rd Sept. 2011

                                                “The night isn´t a lawless place, but others control the borders here.”
                                                Elisabeth Bronfen - Tiefer als der Tage gedacht

Personal Son-Icons for the musicians 11x29cm

Personal Son-Icons for the musicans11x29cm

Nachtplasmen part 2 (orchestra formations)

Video-score with Son-Icons
The Son-Icons are read as analogue in their original format, also reversed and backwards, mirrored and inverted,
sideways, or inverted sideways – not using conventional notation, however, but purely according to gestural and
creative criteria. This produces a great formal and tonal multiplicity – but still with the inner coherence of the Son-
Icons. (The theoretical relationship to the “Art of the Fugue” by Johan Sebastian Bach or the 12-Tone Technique
of the Second Viennese School is striking. There are intellectual affinities and sources of inspiration for
possible.transformations to be found even in the Chinese Yi Jing. )

 The Son-Icons are also transformed into a video-score, via MAX MSP, which in turn inspire the musician to
discover a new tonal terrain.

The team of Hidden Signs
       Charlotte Hug (Zurich), idea, concept, Son-Icons, composition & artistic director of HIDDEN SIGNS
       Christa Wenger blendwerk (Zürich) light design HIDDEN SIGNS
       Daniel Müller (Bern) light assistance INSOMNIA
       Wolfgang Siuda (Hamburg) stage direction SLIPWAY TO GALAXIES
       Stellari String Quartet (London) Philipp Wachsmann, Ch. Hug, Marcio Mattos, John Edwards CORPUS NOX
       Steven Tod (Lucerne) technician SLIPWAY TO GALAXIES & CORPUS NOX
       Götz Rogge (Berlin), live video-screening with Son-Icons in NACHTPLASMEN
       LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY NACHTPLASMEN

       Prof. Dr. Peter Achermann sleep researcher at the University of Zurich
       Dr. Florence Crestani neurobiologist and researcher at the University of Zurich
       Peter Fischer director of the Museum of Art Lucerne curator of the installation INSOMNIA
       Mark Sattler (Munich) producer of HIDDEN SIGNS and curator Lucerne Festival / Moderne

Photos
© Stefano Schröder (museum) © Franca Petrazzetti (Nachtplasmen) © Alberto Venzago (Ireland, Press. div.)

Warmest thanks to Artephila Foundation, UBS Foundation, Pro Helvetia and for the collaboration with the Lucerne
Festival and the Museum of Art Lucerne.