stockhausen: sternklang

About this project

At night, in a park, far apart from each other, several groups of musicians play in the open air, and the source of their playing is the different constellations of the stars – this is the idea of ​​the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in his work Sternklang, written in 1971. This concept was redesigned for the rooms of the Reaktor and House of Music Hugnary by the MIKAMO Central European Chamber Orchestra for the premiere in Austria.

Visually represented star constellations such as the Big Dipper, Leo, Aquarius or Virgo determine the composition: the composer reads the stars as scores and writes rhythms, timbres and melodies from them that influence the interaction of the musicians and their relationship to one another. Between the ensembles, “sound carriers” and “torch bearers” (dancers) bring and carry the sounds. The result is like a journey into a fairytale world of sound in which the boundaries between performer, audience, and environment blur and go beyond the concept of a traditional concert hall.

During the three-and-half-hour experience, which appeals to all the senses, the stargazing audience can freely choose how they want to inhabit this multidimensional experience space, from walking between the ensembles to watching from their seats.