MANCHESTER: Hey! Manchester @ International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Friday 16th May, 2014

7:30pm

Event information

Düsseldorf-based pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann, aka Hauschka, announces tour dates to coincide with the release of his new Abandoned City album, released on City Slang this Spring. Inspired by innovators from John Cage to Aphex Twin, Hauschka is known for his compelling live shows that reimagine the textural and timbral possibilities of his instrument by carrying out an array of imaginative ‘preparations’ on its internal mechanisms.

Recorded in his home studio in a ten day burst of creative energy following the birth of his first son, Abandoned City evokes the ghostly romance of the ruin via his trademark piano preparations and – for the first time – extensive electronic processing. An array of delays, reverbs and pitch-shifting effects bend to his will to create a shimmering world of layers and timbres that emanate from the piano.

From perfectly formed miniatures to longer suites and freeform improvisations, Hauschka has an awareness of light and shade, combined with a melodic charm and innate curiosity that makes listening to his music an engrossing sensory experience. The live show will be a chance to experience the imaginary landscapes and spontaneous lyricism of a unique composer first hand, and share in his ongoing romance with the piano.

‘Satie feather-drops, gorgeous string plucks, transfixing rattles. Stillness is the move’ – Rolling Stone

‘The sounds that Volker Bertelmann creates with(in) a piano are nothing short of astonishing… a triumph’ – Mojo

This show takes place at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, a charity that encourages and supports public and scholarly interest in all aspects of the life and work of Anthony Burgess, the late novelist (best known for A Clockwork Orange), poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The foundation, situated just off Oxford Road, features a fully licensed cafe-bar and an engine room, which will host this concert.

Engine House
Chorlton Mill
3 Cambridge Street
Manchester
M1 5BY

www.heymanchester.com