From the Ground Up: The Chaconne O/Modernt

• William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616):
• 1 Sound the Trumpet 00:49
• Alberto Mesirca, Elsa Bradley, Gareth Lubbe, Hugo Ticciati, Johannes Marmén, Jordi Carrasco Hjelm & Julian Arp:
• 2 Ground (Improvisation) 01:43
• Domenico Pellegrini (16?? - 1682): Armoniosi concerti sopra la chitarra spagnuola:
• 3 Armoniosi concerti sopra la chitarra spagnuola: Chiaccona in parte variate alla vera spagnuola 04:13
• Anonymous:
• 4 Yo soy la locura 02:26
• Dušan Bogdanović (b. 1955):
• 5 Suite Breve: IV. Chaconne 01:41
• Anonymous:
• 6 Vuestros ojos tienen d’amor no sé qué 02:21
• Alessandro Piccinini (1566 - 1638): Intavolatura per Liuto et di Chitarrone, I libro:
• 7 Intavolatura per Liuto et di Chitarrone, I libro: Ciaccona in partite variate 01:28
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Partita in D Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004:
• 8 Partita in D Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004: Ciaccona 14:05
• Alberto Mesirca, Gareth Lubbe, Hugo Ticciati, Johannes Marmén, Jordi Carrasco Hjelm, Julian Arp:
• 9 Being (Improvisation) 04:49
• Henry Purcell ( 1659 - 1695):
• 10 Chacony in G Minor, Z. 730 02:27
• Alberto Mesirca, Gareth Lubbe:
• 11 Breath (Improvisation) 05:41
• Johannes Marmén (b. 1980):
• 12 Inside One Breath 01:36
• Henry Purcell:
• 13 Chaconne Ground in D Minor Remix 03:59
• 14 Dido’s Lament Remix 04:31
• 15 Two Grounds in C Minor Remix 03:35
• Total Runtime 55:24

Info for From the Ground Up: The Chaconne

Originating as a sexy South American dance, the chaconne crossed the Atlantic to sixteenth-century Spain, where it acquired a reputation as a dangerous pleasure. Constructed on repeating ground basses, the form’s sinuous flexibility articulated two facets of the modernist urge to self-expression: the boisterous delights of turning the world upside down and the sweet sadness of melancholy introspection.

From the Ground Up: The Chaconne explores the history of the chaconne in Spain and Italy, and its acceptance into high musical culture. In England it became a chief inspiration for Purcell, while in Germany it triggered the sublime achievement of Bach’s ‘Ciaccona’ from the Partita in D minor for Solo Violin. Also springing from this fertile soil are works by contemporary composers Johannes Marmén and Dušan Bogdanović, and three sets of improvisations – ‘Ground’, ‘Breath’, ‘Being’ – based on themes from Purcell. These include the elemental art of overtone singing, performed by Gareth Lubbe, who studied with the Tuvan people of Siberia. Returning to the chaconne’s Renaissance roots, readings from Shakespeare by actor Sam West inspire extempore reflections by beat poet Baba Israel.

Samuel West, reader
Hugo Ticciati, violin
Johannes Marmén, violin
Gareth Lubbe, viola & overtone singer
Julian Arp, cello
Jordi Carrasco Hjelm, double bass
Alberto Mesirca, guitar, theorbo
Christoph Sommer, guitar, theorbo
Karl Nyhlin, guitar, theorbo
Nora Thiele, percussion
Leandro Mancini-Olivos, percussion
Elsa Bradley, percussion
Cecilia Knudtsen, viola da gamba
Luciana Mancini, mezzosoprano
Baba Israel, beat poet
Henrik Måwe, piano
Svante Henryson, electric bass

O/Modernt
Julian Arp (cello), Gareth Lubbe (viola), Daniel Rowland and Hugo Ticciati (violins) have known each other for a number of years, making music together at numerous festivals across Europe. In February 2016 at Musikaliska all four musicians performed together for the first time as a string quartet, officially marking the inauguration of the O/MODERNT String Quartet. Like its namesake, Festival O/MODERNT, the quartet will combine old and new music in innovative and daring ways, nurturing the hallowed ground of the great quartet tradition while challenging its established order, pushing the traditional boundaries of the form and (dare we say) releasing the quartet from the safety of its ivory tower. With four musicians who are used to doing things very much outside the ‘classical’ box, the quartet hopes to open up new imaginative spaces, unravelling multiple strands of quartet playing and reweaving them to reveal unforeseen potentialities and create fresh and original musical textures.

The quartet will be collaborating with an eclectic array of artists including percussionist Evelyn Glennie, choreographer Marc Brew, Brazilian dancer Ederson Rodrigues Xavier, DJ Jeff Mills and more.

Booklet for From the Ground Up: The Chaconne