For the Le Sacre du printemps concert (on March 22 at Flagey), our percussionist Titus Franken adds an extra layer of rhythmic intensity: a tape featuring an explosion of warped and mangled sounds, paired with a meticulously precise choreography. In the hour before the concert, Titus will perform Aphasia by Mark Applebaum in a looped sequence.
"Aphasia is a challenging and theatrical work originally written for voice and tape. It’s often performed by percussionists because the timing of the movements demands such precision. That’s the beauty of percussion—a wonderfully diverse family of instruments that breaks down the boundaries of classical music."
Experience these performance live on Saturday, March 22, at Flagey (three sessions starting from 7:00 PM).
Le Sacre & Amériques · 22.03.2025 · Flagey
Igor Stravinsky led the way with Le Sacre. A lone oboe begins, the orchestra takes over slowly building up until suddenly—BAM! CRASH!—the rhythms explode into a wild, hypnotic pulse that makes you want to move. Edgar Varèse cranked things up even more with Amériques, a percussive tour de force for a massive orchestra, with 14 percussionists. Conductor duo Ilan Volkov and Concertgebouw-Maker Tom De Cock, a percussionist himself, each take on one of these kindred compositions.
Discover moreAphasia reminds me of that moment when you’re lying in bed and decide to go to sleep. Just before drifting off, the most unpredictable thoughts pop into your mind. From mundane things like, "Did I lock the door?" or "I’d really like to try darts sometime," to bigger life questions. This idea came to me because of the last few pages of the piece, where everything counts up to 99. It’s as if you’re counting sheep until the end of the work. Simultaneously, during this counting in the choreagraphy, there’s a 'throwaway gesture,' which to me symbolizes the attempt to turn off these thoughts until you—finally—fall asleep.