Between sleep and waking you can find yourself in a haze where, unnoticeably, dreams become entwined with reality. It is a fruitful world - sounds evoke images, images become stories. Boundaries dissolve, nothing seems impossible. This is the world of Kristoffer Zegers’ music. In various works he constructs sound patterns that, through electronic means, suggest landscapes. Piano Phasing, that is to be performed at the famous contemporary music festival in Huddersfield (UK) this month, is an acoustic work, but one with an extremely complex structure.

Based on a simple element, amateurs sitting two by two at a large number of pianos create structures that sometimes evoke rapids, sometimes growing clouds. You hear notes reaching for each other. From time to time chords bounce through the room, carried by the strong drone of sustained bass strings. Zegers achieves this by letting the pianists play themes in a tempo that is free within certain limits. Thus differences and shifts are created. These turn into colourful patterns that fan out. Chords that start off strong fall apart into ever-decreasing pieces until the notes whirl around like thick gusts of mist. You hear pianos, but in Zegers' world they sound like they are the result of a digital process.

René van Peer

Listen to fragments of Kristoffer Zegers' music here>>

Kristoffer Zegers’ interests:
Louis Andriessen: De Staat
Gilius van Bergeijk: Bac
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1974-76)
Ligeti: Lontano, Atmosphères
Anton Bruckner: Symphonies
Antonio Vivaldi: La Cetra

Kristoffer Zegers’ heroes and inspiration
Nobody

3 characteristic statements by Kristoffer:

• Music should be allowed to voice those thoughts where spoken language ceases to exist ... music should be allowed to express those emotions where spoken language is no more than gibberish.

• What is it in music that makes a non-religious person almost believe?

• I’ll send you the score tomorrow, or the day after.