Karlheinz Stockhausen’s
KLANG
March 25–26, 2016
TICKETS: Free with admission to the Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Cloisters
The Breuer Building
Karlheinz Stockhausen’s complete KLANG cycle will be presented over Easter weekend at three Metropolitan Museum campuses in New York City. On Friday, March 25, the performance will begin at the Breuer Building, former home of the Whitney Museum. The following day, Saturday, March 26, the performance will begin at The Cloisters, home to the Met’s medieval collection, before continuing on to the Breuer Building, and concluding with a farewell concert in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
KLANG
March 25–26, 2016
TICKETS: Free with admission to the Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Cloisters
The Breuer Building
Karlheinz Stockhausen’s complete KLANG cycle will be presented over Easter weekend at three Metropolitan Museum campuses in New York City. On Friday, March 25, the performance will begin at the Breuer Building, former home of the Whitney Museum. The following day, Saturday, March 26, the performance will begin at The Cloisters, home to the Met’s medieval collection, before continuing on to the Breuer Building, and concluding with a farewell concert in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
ABOUT
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) began composing KLANG (Sound) after finishing his 7-opera cycle LICHT (Light). Where each opera of LICHT focuses on a single day of the week, KLANG meditates on the hours of the day. Intended to be a 24-part cycle, the composition of KLANG was cut short by Stockhausen’s fatal cardiac arrest on December 5, 2007.
KLANG is a cycle of 21 individual pieces, featuring 42 onstage performers. The music is a combination of electronic and acoustic material in Stockhausen’s eclectic style, which can range from luscious romanticism or minimalism to austere modernism. The total duration of the cycle is slightly more than 11 hours. Most of KLANG has never been performed in the US.
When he died, Stockhausen left no sketches for the final three hours of KLANG. It is unclear that he ever intended to finish the cycle. As the cycle took shape, many of his collaborators felt Stockhausen was signaling that his attention had turned towards his next life. KLANG might best be understood as one of the leading lights of modern music composing his own requiem.
KLANG is a cycle of 21 individual pieces, featuring 42 onstage performers. The music is a combination of electronic and acoustic material in Stockhausen’s eclectic style, which can range from luscious romanticism or minimalism to austere modernism. The total duration of the cycle is slightly more than 11 hours. Most of KLANG has never been performed in the US.
When he died, Stockhausen left no sketches for the final three hours of KLANG. It is unclear that he ever intended to finish the cycle. As the cycle took shape, many of his collaborators felt Stockhausen was signaling that his attention had turned towards his next life. KLANG might best be understood as one of the leading lights of modern music composing his own requiem.
SCHEDULE
REPERTOIRE
1. HIMMELFAHRT (Ascension) for organ, soprano, and tenor
Taka Kigawa, organ | 39′ |
2. FREUDE (Joy) for two harps
June Han & Bridget Kibbey, harps | 38′ |
3. NATÜRLICHE-DAUERN (Natural Durations) for piano
Yukiko Takagi, piano | 120′ |
4. HIMMELS-TÜR (Heaven’s Door) for percussionist and little girl
Stuart Gerber, percussion | 21′ |
5. HARMONIEN (Harmonies) for flute, trumpet, or bass clarinet
Marco Blaauw/Joe Drew, trumpet | 15′ |
6. SCHÖNHEIT (Beauty) for trumpet, flute, and bass clarinet
Joe Drew, trumpet | 28′ |
7. BALANCE for flute, English horn, bass clarinet
Marcia Kämper, flute | 32′ |
8. GLÜCK for bassoon, English horn, oboe
Bryan Young, bassoon | 40′ |
9. HOFFNUNG (Hope) for cello, viola, and violin
Alexandrina Boyanova, viola | 34′ |
10. GLANZ (Brilliance) for bassoon, viola, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone, tuba
Bryan Young, bassoon | 40′ |
11. TREUE (Fidelity) for clarinet, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet
Vasko Dukovski, clarinet | 30′ |
12. ERWACHEN (Awakening) for trumpet, cello, and soprano saxophone
Sam Jones, trumpet | 30′ |
13. COSMIC PULSES for tapeJoe Drew & Rudolf Kamper, sound projectionist | 32′ |
14. HAVONA for tape and bassRobert Osborne, bass | 25′ |
15. ORVONTON for tape and baritoneJeffrey Gavett, baritone | 25′ |
16. UVERSA for tape and basset hornVasko Dukovski, basset horn | 23′ |
17. NEBADON for tape and hornChristine Chapman, horn | 22′ |
18. JERUSEM for tape and tenorEric Dudley, tenor | 21′ |
19. URANTIA for tape and sopranoAmanda DeBoer, soprano | 20′ |
20. EDENTIA for tape and soprano saxophoneRyan Muncy, soprano saxophone | 19′ |
21. PARADIES for tape and fluteMarcia Kämper, flute | 19′ |
VENUES
Getting to the Metropolitan Museum By Subway or Bus
The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street) New York, NY 10028 Phone: 212-535-7710 |
The Cloisters 9 Margaret Corbin Drive New York, NY 10040 Phone: 212-923-3700 |
The Breuer Building Madison Avenue (at 75th Street) New York, NY 10028 |
Getting to the Metropolitan Museum By Subway or Bus
From East Side of Manhattan: Subway: Take the 4, 5, or 6 train to 86th Street and walk three blocks west to Fifth Avenue. This walk is about a half mile and takes approximately ten minutes. Bus: Take the M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus along Fifth Avenue (from uptown locations) to 82nd Street or along Madison Avenue (from downtown locations) to 83rd Street.Getting to the Cloisters
From West Side of Manhattan: Take the 1 train to 86th Street, then the M86 crosstown bus across Central Park to Fifth Avenue; OR take the C train to 81st Street, then the M79 bus across Central Park to Fifth Avenue.
From Penn Station: Take the M4 bus to 83rd Street and Madison Avenue; OR take the C local train to 81st Street and transfer to the M79 crosstown bus across Central Park to Fifth Avenue.
From The Cloisters: Take the M4 bus directly to 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue; OR take the A train to 125th Street, transfer to the B or C local train, exit at 81st Street, and transfer to the M79 crosstown bus across Central Park to Fifth Avenue.
By Subway or Bus: Take the A train to 190th Street and exit the station by elevator. Walk north along Margaret Corbin Drive for approximately ten minutes or transfer to the M4 bus and ride north one stop. If you are coming from the Museum’s Main Building, you may also take the M4 bus directly from Madison Avenue/83rd Street to the last stop. (Please allow more time for this option.)Some transfers are free. Please note: Certain restrictions apply to bus and train transfers. Please visit the MTA website for additional details, and for bus and subway maps.
By Car: Take Henry Hudson Parkway northbound to the first exit after George Washington Bridge (Fort Tryon Park—The Cloisters). This exit is only accessible from the northbound lane; if coming from the north, take Henry Hudson Parkway southbound to exit 14–15, make a U-turn, and travel north one mile to the exit marked Fort Tryon Park—The Cloisters.