[un]questioned answers
a compositional engagement with Charles Ives’
“the unanswered question”
A music like a riddle: In The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives (composed in 1906), the solo trumpet intones seven times the “eternal question of existence.” Four woodwinds attempt answers in an increasingly dissonant turmoil, ultimately leading into the constantly consonant string section representing the “silences of the Druids.” This enigmatic description was given by Ives himself in the preface to a later edition of his composition (world premiere in 1946). With Asambura’s characteristic spirit of experimentation, [un]questioned answer becomes an expressive, immensely energetic concert between sonically reinterpreted and recontextualized works by Charles Ives, György Ligeti, Steve Reich, Luca Marenzio, Béla Bartók, Daniel Moreira, and Maximilian Guth.
Contrasts between “naturally” produced instrumental colors (wood, metal: marimba, flute, santur) and “artificially” produced sounds (electronics: electric guitar, synthesizer, electronic santur) play a key role.
The cycle [un]questioned answer ventures to do more than just bridge the present. It invites one to close a circle, whose eternal vibration also touches on the distant past.
Some of the pieces in the cycle quote or reflect nature, but none attempt to illustrate its flow. However, all are compositional in their fluidity, much like The Unanswered Question. They work with seemingly dissonant overlays and seemingly random consonant encounters.
Perhaps such music can be compared to a parallel universe, in which art – in its creation, performance, and perception – not only allows the unexpected, the uncontrollable, but actually desires it and opens the space for it.
This music makes no claim to a current, clearly definable reference. But it demands and fosters a different, still unfamiliar openness to the unexpected and its mysteriously hidden patterns.
The cycle will groove. Something unexpected may happen – interacting with the listeners and their nature in a surprising, necessarily random way.
composition • Béla Bartók. György Ligeti. Charles Ives. Luca Marenzio. Steve Reich. Maximilian Guth. Daniel Moreira
instrumentation • Maximilian Guth. Ashley Hribar. Daniel Moreira. Justus Czaske
electronic composition • Daniel Moreira
instruments: flute, prepared piano, electric guitar, percussion, accordeon, electronics
world premiere • 2024 NDR Hannover
“Culture has the power to open spaces for reflection and possibility, to inspire us, to question, or simply to entertain. It is a mirror of our present, a custodian of our past, and a visionary of a possible future. In its aesthetic form, it asks us questions and creates perspective shifts on the seemingly unshakable.
With an ‘unasked answer,’ the asambura ensemble in its latest production [UN]QUESTIONED ANSWER once again engages with existing works and re-contextualizes them with high artistic quality and intellectual creativity. Charles Ives’ work The Unanswered Question forms the musical opening for this cycle, in which the ensemble artistically addresses the challenge of how humanity can responsibly manage natural resources and establish a relationship with nature.
Alongside Charles Ives, other renowned composers such as Bartók, Ligeti, and Steve Reich will be heard this evening in creative re-instrumentations by the asambura ensemble, offering new listening experiences and, indeed, answering unspoken questions.”
– Belit Onay –
Oberbürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt Hannover
“The [un]questioned answer – An innovative performance concept where the audience can actively influence the improvisations on stage.
My first thought was – what a lovely idea! But what actually emerged was truly fantastic. The dynamic between the audience and musicians developed so naturally and logically that, in the end, truly great music was created – and my concern about a worthy finale was magically dissolved by a delicate flute solo.
This experience kept me thinking for a long time. Here, it wasn’t just about conveying how musicians experience music together, but how all involved – the audience included – sense each other, respond to one another, and resonate together.
The power music can unleash became clearer here than in any other concert format I’ve experienced: Individual ideas and thoughts merge into a meaningful whole, even though they don’t always have to be congruent or even alike.
So alive – and political – I haven’t experienced (new) music in concert in a long time!”
– Prof. Konrad Maria Engel –
“The asambura ensemble shows how contemporary, complex music can be accessible to many people. Through their joy of experimenting, their great energy, and the collective search for sound, as well as their creative ideas for music mediation, they dispel any apprehensions and invite everyone to engage with new music and be inspired by it.
They proved this once again with their captivating concert ‘[un]questioned answer’ at the NDR on February 11, where the audience and musicians, through communication about artworks and personal impulse thoughts, jointly searched for Ives’ unanswered final question.”
– Johanna Kreiss –
music mediator