Musical Utopias is an annual festival that explores humankind’s relationship to society, the environment, and social and political activism. A co-production between Ensemble Klang and Korzo, the festival brings together music-makers and artists from multiple disciplines, all striving to build new worlds. The festival is an invitation to share in a hopeful journey into the unknown, a journey that looks optimistically to the future.
The Carnival of Futuristic Animals (try-out) – Spaceship Ensemble
Spaceship Ensemble, who are doing a residency with Gaudeamus in 2022, present a musical spectacle inspired by A Treatise In Evolution from one of The Netherlands’ most iconic scientists, the theoretical physicist Gerard ’t Hooft. A series of drawings portraying futuristic creatures inspired by how animals might evolve. In a musical programme reminiscent of Le Carnaval des Animaux by Camille Saint-Sans, the ensemble plays a series of short pieces that each represent one of ’t Hooft’s creatures
In addition to the specially commissioned compositions, this event will also include the development of a set of original Arduino musical hardwares designed to enhance the novelty and uniqueness of this musical-scientific ‘ecosystem’.
OCCAM HEXA V – Éliane Radigue, Carol Robinson, Ensemble Klang
A new work in the expansive OCCAM OCEAN series, OCCAM HEXA V was created for Ensemble Klang by Éliane Radigue & Carol Robinson. The work premiered during a day dedicated to Radigue’s work at November Music Festival and FAQ Festival in November 2021, celebrating Radigue’s award of the Open Oor composition prize. This composition is rooted in the city of Den Bosch, with its waterways forming a map through the piece itself. OCCAM HEXA V was co-written with one of Radigue’s closest collaborators, the composer and clarinetist Carol Robinson. In addition to premiering over fifteen of Radigue’s demanding acoustic pieces, Robinson has co-composed several works from OCCAM OCEAN. The hands-on work she did with Ensemble Klang in The Hague was instrumental in bringing the music to life.