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All music by Fred Van Hove (SABAM) and Wolfgang Fuchs (GEMA)
Recorded live during Total Music Meeting in Berlin
on Nov 4 (# 1 & 3) and Nov 6, 2004 (# 2)
at Berlinische Galerie. Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst,
Fotografie und Architektur
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Hrólfur Vagnsson
Produced by Helma Schleif & John Rottiers
Liner-notes: John Rottiers
Edited and translated by Werner Merz (merzMusik)
Photographs: Ingo Kniest (www.kniestphotography.net)
Design: wppt:kommunikation, Klaus Untiet, Wuppertal
DDD / LC 12005 / P + C 2005 / EAN-Code: 4260013680125
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| Release date: Nov 3, 2005 |
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The present CD production entitled 'Facetten', a labour
of love (a/l/l 012), is without any doubt a wonderful souvenir
of my very first visit to last November's 'Total Music Meeting',
the longest-running Free Music Festival in the world. For
the first time, it took place at the auditorium of the then
newly-opened Berlinische Galerie, which is not, as its name
might suggest, a commercial art gallery, but Berlin's prestigious
Museum of Modern Art, situated at Alte Jakobstrasse near the
Jewish Museum. Berlin is, frankly speaking, the cultural capital
city of the Old World.
There are a few remarks to be made on this CD. In the first
place I would like to mention that initially a CD release
of Fred Van Hove's exciting piano solo, which ended the third
evening of the 37th Total Music Meeting, was not planned,
because his very interesting solo double CD 'Spraak/Roll'
had been released on the Belgian WIMPro label (WIMProacht/negen
CD 030304) only three or four months earlier. I find this
double CD very interesting because on 'Spraak', the first
CD, the great Antwerp-born improviser is trying out some new
things that could be filed under 'Brain Music', whereas on
'Roll', the second CD, you will find three spontaneous improvisations.
The title piece, which runs for over 46 minutes, features
a few characteristics that reappear on 'Berliner Roll', but
it is the final three minutes of the Berlin solo that make
all the difference. This passage reminds me of a train which,
after a long ride through the night, eventually arrives at
the station. And so, a few moments after the last tones of
Fred Van Hove's exciting 'Berliner Roll' had faded away, Helma
and I said to each other, "We must release this on CD
because nobody has ever done anything like this before. It's
a masterpiece".
A few weeks before, we had already planned to release the
duo concert of Fred Van Hove and Wolfgang Fuchs that was to
take place during the first evening of the 2004 TMM. 18 years
had elapsed since the two improvisers had last recorded together,
and it would be Fred Van Hove's very first opportunity to
document his playing on a single-manual harpsichord. In an
ideal world, this would have resulted in a double CD release
including Fred Van Hove's solo, as well as the duo concert
of Van Hove and Wolfgang Fuchs. Of course, creative musicians
like Fred Van Hove, who is among the most important pioneers
of Improvised Music, and multi-instrumentalist Wolfgang Fuchs
can easily fill a full-length CD with their music if there
are no time limitations (in contrast to a world-famous saxophone
player called Bill Clinton who some years ago released a CD
running for just over 20 minutes, because he had no more ideas
left in his bag...!). On the one hand, some may deplore the
fact that the long programme of the evening gave them only
20 minutes to challenge each other. On the other hand, we
now have the beautifully rounded single-CD release, 'Facetten',
as a wonderful souvenir. Yet I am still dreaming of producing
a CD completely dedicated to the musical partnership of Fred
Van Hove and Wolfgang Fuchs. At the moment, this is not possible
because lately Wolfgang Fuchs' health has sadly been less
than perfect, but as soon as he is back on his feet practising
and playing again, it is time to make my dream come true.
In the meantime, I would like to mention their two historic
collaborations which were in fact trio projects, because on
their very first LP, the SAJ production 'Berliner Begegnung'
(SAJ 47/1983), drummer and percussionist Peter Hollinger appeared
as the third man, while on their second LP, the SAJ release
'Wo der Kopf sitzt' (SAJ 56/1986), Paul Lytton from the UK
took care of the percussion and also used some electronics.
Not only are both LPs real collector's items, but they opened
a new musical world for me, the world of Free Improvised Music,
in so far as total musical freedom is at all possible, of
course.
John Rottiers, Presenter, Radio Centraal, Antwerpen
September 28th 2005
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