Jan 24, 2013

Time
Jan 24, 2013, 6 pm

stedelijk│special events
InnerAct – “Canto Ostinato” Audio Visual
January 24, 2013, 7 pm and 9 pm - 9 pm is sold out!


Location: Teijin Auditorium, Stedelijk Museum
Language: Not applicable
Entrance: Entrance price to the museum (discounts apply, MJK free)
Reservations: It is necessary to make a reservation. Send an e-mail to reservations@stedelijk.nl, stating your full name, e-mail address, telephone number, and the date of the program you want to attend.

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is proud to present the Amsterdam premiere of InnerAct: an audiovisual performance with harp, electronics, and visuals, with the groundbreaking work “Canto Ostinato” as the musical starting point. “Canto” is a musical work created by Simeon ten Holt, the best-known composer in the Netherlands in the field of minimal music, who died on November 25, 2012. The performance of “Canto” at the Stedelijk is an ode to Ten Holt. 

InnerAct is a unique experience that explores the fascinating confluence of music, the visual arts, and technology. With an emphasis on interaction and improvisation, no two performances are the same. InnerAct is an ensemble composed of harpist Gwyneth Wentink, electronics specialist Wouter Snoei, and video artist Arnout Hulskamp. They respond to each other with their instruments and the software specially developed for this purpose and then determine who takes the lead in accordance with the codes of “Canto.”

Ten Holt composed a framework that allows the performers a great deal of freedom in making their own interpretations. The repetitive character and the reflective effect of the work inspired the ensemble to create a new arrangement in which artists from different disciplines enter into a dialogue with each other and reinforce each other and the experience of “Canto,” placing it a contemporary context. 

The result is a spectacular performance in which music and visuals challenge and support each other. With its rich history of music – the historic series “Muziek van Nu” (Music Now) and the current Stedelijk music program – the Stedelijk is the perfect place for InnerAct! 

More information about “Canto Ostinato”

Canto Ostinato is a revolutionary musical work written between 1976 and 1979 by composer Simeon ten Holt. It is composed of 106 cells and the musician has the choice of what he or she plays, how it is played, and how long to play it. In many cases, several musicians are involved in a performance of “Canto” and enter into a dialogue with each other. While interaction and improvisation are central to the piece, signals are agreed upon in advance so that it is clear who takes the lead and when they decide to go on to the next section. Because of the tonality, the use of these cells, and the repetition, the musical work is labeled as minimal music. “Canto” elicits strong emotions in people and has acquired a worldwide following. Because of the popularity of this work and others composed by Simeon ten Holt, he is mentioned as a Dutch minimalist in the same breath as Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and John Cage.

More information about the ensemble

Gwyneth Wentink (b. 1981) is a leading international harpist and the winner of the Dutch music prize, the VSCD music prize, the Princess Christina Competition, and the Israel International Harp Competition. In addition, she was the first harpist in history to appear on the list of Young Concert Artists in New York when she was only 17. She regularly plays in famous venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, and the Royal Albert Hall, and is characterized as a versatile musician because of her surprising choices. 

Wouter Snoei (b. 1977) graduated as a sound technologist from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Snoei won the dance category of the 1997 Grote Prijs van Nederland, and as a composer received the Matthijs Vermeulen prize to encourage young composers. He developed the Wave Field Synthesis System of the Game of Life Foundation, a revolutionary system in which sounds move through space in an entirely new way. 

Arnout Hulskamp (b. 1978) studied Digital Media Design at the HKU and focuses mainly on audiovisual performances, interactive video installations, and 3D video mapping. Together with Chloé Tallot (France), he forms a duo that plays at festivals and in clubs such as Paris Paris (Paris), Share (New York), and Mapping Festival (Geneva). He has created 3D mapping projections for TEDx Amsterdam and the Zuiderzee Museum and has worked with DJs such as James Holden, Nicolas Jaar, and Trentemøller. He was twice awarded the Gouden Reiger, the Dutch prize for exceptional projects in audiovisual communications.