At Klarafestival 2025, you will be performing music by the French-American composer Edgard Varèse and the German-American composer Johanna Beyer. As a student, how do you approach an iconic composition like Varèse's Ionisation?

Stijn: ‘Ionisation is one of the first works to be specifically written for percussion ensemble. With this piece, Varèse was searching for new sound possibilities, among other things by probing the boundaries of traditional instruments. We try to keep that vision in mind.’

Kalina: ‘A piece like Ionisation offers little freedom to the performers. All musical parameters are strictly notated, from timbre to articulation. Varèse experimented with every possible sound combination; his music almost resembles electronic music. So the performance must be absolutely precise, otherwise everything falls apart.’

Matthijs: ‘Beyer's music, on the other hand, is a challenge to decipher. Not everything is logically notated: for instance, there is a crescendo indicated in the score beneath a long note. As a percussionist, that's impossible to play. But perhaps that's part of the humour that she wove into her music?”

Beyer was a contemporary of Varèse's, and she too treated percussion instruments in a radical, new way. Yet her work, which leans towards minimalism, contrasts sharply with the more mechanical instrumentation found in Ionisation. Does this relate to the way in which these composers experienced the interwar period?

Stijn: ‘Around the turn of the century, cities expanded, becoming fuller and louder. You can clearly hear this in Ionisation: the sirens evoke the alarm sounds that are part of urban life. Varèse also sought to introduce elements from robust, mechanical industry into his music in this way. Not as a critique, but simply to say: ‘this is the now’. And at the same time, you also sense a certain detachment arising in that turbulent period.’

Kalina: ‘The instrumentation for Percussion Suite is more limited; it is written for five percussionists. Unlike Varèse, Beyer explores the more subdued possibilities of percussion. Her music must have sounded quite unusual at the time, as its soundscape is far removed from the melodic music to which the audience was accustomed. Maybe that's why Beyer received so little attention?’

Is it important for listeners to be aware of this historical context?

Kalina: ‘I think so. Especially when it comes to experimental music from the 1930s, it helps to know the background. This way you gain a better grasp of the music, and can enjoy it even more as a listener.’

Pierre: ‘Although performance and enjoyment are two different things for me. You can enjoy this music without knowing anything about it. But in order to translate the music to the audience, a musician must know and understand the context and the specific intent of the composer.’

Stijn: ‘I see it more as another level of enjoyment. When you are aware of the background as a musician, you gain greater insight and can better empathise with the music. For example, you can connect certain instruments more effectively to the sounds of the city at that time.’