world premiere

Orphax is a project by the prolific musician and composer Sietse van Erve, whose work swells and rings with microtonal detail. Working with ambient and drone sounds, van Erve has developed a fascinating body of music that reaches slowly in all directions, moving itself in slow-motion in a way that plays with time, existentialism, and the eeriness of nostalgia. Celebrating 25 years of the project in 2024, Orphax will present the world premiere of his new collaboration with MAZE Ensemble, which is sure to bring about a new dimension to his minimal, thoughtful investigations of ambient dissonance and harmony. Based upon his release En de stilstaande tijd (2020) – which translates to English as “and the stillness of time” – this new collaboration seeks to re-examine the idea of frozen time that recurs in Orphax’s music. En de stilstaande tijd is a fascinating foray into how the notion of stillness affects tranquillity and rest.

For this occasion, the Amsterdam-based MAZE Ensemble will consist of Anne La Berge, Dario Calderone and Gareth Davis. With numerous collaborations under their belt, MAZE specialise in interpreting the relationship between performer and music, often working alongside composers, interpreting and expanding upon their music in exciting, creative, and unforeseen ways by developing open scores and hybrid notations. They have collaborated with guest composers such as Robert Ashley, Michael Pisaro, Okkyung Lee, Barbara Ellison, and David Kanaga. They also perform at Rewire 2024 alongside Annea Lockwood.

*This is a seated concert