unter tage

Thomas Witzmann

The action to the music

Exciting evening at Cologne´s Philharmonie

The triangle-player, once besung by cabaret performer Georg Kreisler, would have had his great joy: triangles lead to the end of Thomas Witzmann´s work "Unter Tage". The com-poser, percussionist and sound creator gave the first performance of his latest project. The title is aimed at two different things: at the place of the performance - under Cologne´s pavement - and at the hope, the listener would deeply grasp the event.

Before the heavy work Witzmann gave the audience some aperVus and musical bonbons in form of some themes by Eric Satie. Some of them were arranged for chamber-orchestra conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer ("Avant-dernières pensées", "Descriptions auto-matiques" and "Embryons desséchés"). The actor Martin Reinke read some of the odd master´s aphorisms and piano-player Klaus Steffes-Holländer played the "Trois gymnopédies" and "Sports et divertissements".

All are documents of an artist, who refused to any conformity, sharply clear in his "Musique d´ameublement": as it were miniatures as sounding pieces of an exhibition; please do not listen, just look, as Satie urged those presents of the performance. Now the "furniture-music" hit the audience logically in the foyer, as an entrance to the "Accents" from the evening.

From Satie to satire it is not far away, not farther away than from Witzmann to fun. The bordercrosser between new music, improvisation and music-theatre is not a comedian, but strictly regulated guidelines have a more catchy effect, when they get relaxed via optical interludes. In "Unter Tage" the actor - behind the conductor´s back - lugs chairs and musicstands, moves them back and forth, and plays some prank. The 19 members of the orchestra - strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion - are distributed in the auditorium, they (likewise the two tromboneplayers) change - that´s the way it is - by forming and dissolving different positions the impressions of listening and the artistic form. Witzmann´s aim is the link between action and music. Mobility manipulates the perception and does not drive it out. Directing the room is the magic word.

Nevertheless you don´t have to get into higher musical regions to understand him. Witzmann´s works live from the spontaneous acoustic arrangement of the moment, this time in a bigger dimension.

Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 04.02.1999 (Martin Woltersdorf)