Echo Yes No
Concert
by Marjolein Vernimmen, Jenna Vergeynst, Zoë Bossuyt
"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. […] I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest."
(Sylvia Plath, ‘The Bell Jar’, 1963)
Mike Svoboda’s ‘Echo Yes No’ (2019) for two harps and electronics is not a joyful piece. It contemplates on the inner struggle that comes with difficult decisions in life. Attending a performance of this piece is a live experience of such a moment of struggle: the sounds circling around the hall through the surround speaker setup, create a unique experience in every single seat.
In this concert, Marjolein Vernimmen and Jenna Vergeynst (harp ensemble Vireo) experiment with the spatial aspects of this piece. To optimise the spatial experience of the audience, they will perform the piece in a surround setting not only of the speakers but also of the public. Inspired by the sounds of ‘Echo Yes No’, they will embed the piece into a set of two improvisations, with ‘Echo Yes No’ forming the bridge between an acoustic and an amplified setting.
Zoë Bossuyt: electronics
(Image: Laure-Anne Iserief - detail)