In Cascade by Maarten Buyl, a soprano – Naomi Beeldens – enters into a live dialogue with sounds that themselves were cobbled together from recorded fragments of her own voice, with which in turn other sounds are reconstructed. Besides being one of the works on the Transit programme this year, it’s also one of the many examples of the recent trend where composers explore the boundaries between the real and the virtual. Of course, they get a helping hand from technology, and it is also our daily dealings with technology (like social media) that show how virtual connections are increasingly
intertwined with ‘real’ life. And yet…
In the last few months we have all been forced to put our physical contacts ‘on hold’. From the skype aperitif to online education, digital communication has become more or less our only possible form of contact. The art world, eager as always, because we’re just like that, quickly responded with live streaming, freely available archive recordings and so much more. The need for cultural contact was real. The online answer provided some consolation, but also exposed a deficiency. Stripped of the exciting intensity of the live experience, music remains something distant. Nowhere do you feel it stronger than with the newest music. We’re glad and relieved that we can still offer a live festival – with a few inevitable modifications. It’s that genuine Transit feeling, with new and original sounds, the world premieres, the premiere fever and if necessary, even the frustration of a broken cello string. Living music deserves to be experienced live.
Maarten Beirens,
artistic director Transit
TRANSIT Collectie is an initiative of MATRIX [New Music Centre], in cooperation with Festival 20/21 and the support of the city of Leuven.
