protonwerk no. 7

Wednesday 7. February 2018, 8.00 pm • Gare du Nord
Thursday 8. February 2018, 8.30 pm • Walcheturm Zürich
Monday 12. February 2018, 7.30 pm • Dampfzentrale Bern

Hall, Alec (*1985) – Vertigo (2017)  UA, com
Wetzel, Karin (*1981) – Windbruch (2017)  UA, com
Seidenberg, Micha (*1984) – souvenance (2017)  UA, com
Nagel, Adrian (*1990) – Netzwerk (2017)  UA, com
Khorkova, Marina (*1981) – PROTONWERK 7 (2017)  UA, com

protonwerk is the platform for contemporary music, created by ensemble proton bern. With the support of Swiss Cultural Foundation Pro Helvetia we have been working together to inspire the upcoming generation of composers at the beginning of their professional careers. Those interested can apply to receive a commission to write a new work for one of the annual protonwerk concerts. protonwerk was conceived not only to extend the ensemble’s repertoire but also to offer composers the opportunity to create and refine their work in a professional environment. One of the key aspects of these new work commissions is the chance to write for the recently developed instruments lupophone (bass oboe with extended range) and contraforte (an acoustically superior contrabassoon). In the interest of this exchange, a workshop was held in June 2017 where the initial sketches and fragments of the new pieces were discussed and rehearsed.  

The 7th edition of protonwerk involves electronics: as part of the application, the composers had to document their work with electronics of any kind. The winners have been commissioned to write a work specifically for ensemble and electronics.