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Volker Bertelmann is a classically trained composer/pianist from Germany who currently resides in Düsseldorf. Having studied
classical piano for ten years, his work as Hauschka is based upon a playful exploration of the possibilities of the ‘prepared’ piano
- a disruptive intervention into the preconceived idea of the piano as a pure-toned instrument: by clamping wedges of leather ,
felt or rubber between the strings; preparing the hammers with aluminium paper or rough films; placing crown corks on the
strings, weaving guitar strings around the piano’s guts, or pasting them down ...read more
Volker Bertelmann is a classically trained composer/pianist from Germany who currently resides in Düsseldorf. Having studied
classical piano for ten years, his work as Hauschka is based upon a playful exploration of the possibilities of the ‘prepared’ piano
- a disruptive intervention into the preconceived idea of the piano as a pure-toned instrument: by clamping wedges of leather ,
felt or rubber between the strings; preparing the hammers with aluminium paper or rough films; placing crown corks on the
strings, weaving guitar strings around the piano’s guts, or pasting them down with gaffa tape - his resulting tracks are
composed both originally and charmingly. The results are vivid, unconventional pieces made in a spirit of playful research-
enthusiasm.
Rather than striving for any purist academic perfection, Volker’s playing seems as much informed by modern electronica or
Indonesian gamelan as it is by any classical cannon. With the aid of his interventions, the piano becomes as much a machine for
generating rhythms as it does for melody. Now and again Hauschka utilises additional, non-piano sounds such as synthesizer,
drum machine, electric bass, or other acoustic instruments like vibraphone, strings or brass. His pieces may be seen as small
rhythmic sound-vignettes or just quiet ballads which have their roots in east-asian harmonies, the minimalism of Reich, Glass,
Nyman, etc., and also in Satie or Ravel. « hide |
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