The Experimental Studio of the Heinrich Strobel Foundation
The EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO in Freiburg (Germany) searches for syntheses in terms of acoustic arts and advanced technology through the medium of live-electronic sound-extension. This supplements the tones generated by musicians through different effect-devices to their modulation, which are put into motion in space by specific steering systems and loudspeakers. The EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO considers itself as gateway between compositional idea and technical realisation. Therefore, several composers and musicians are invited every year for a work-scholarship for being able to realise their works in a creative discourse with the specialized equipment as well as the team of the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO, e.g. music information scientists, sound designers, sound-engineers and sound-directors.Apart from creating new works together with the composers, the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO also performs as an ensemble and is regularly invited worldwide. After 35 years of presence in the international new music business it has established itself as leading ensemble for performing ambitious compositions with live-electronics and gives concerts regularly at almost all important festivals (like Berliner Festwochen, Wiener Festwochen, Salzburger Festspielen, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Biennale di Venezia) as well as many well-known music theatres (like Teatro alla Scala Mailand, Carnegie Hall New York, Théâtre de la Monnaie, Teatro Real Madrid) to name but a few.
Outstanding compositions in music history that were created at the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO were created there by well-known composers as Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Christobal Halffter, Vinko Globokar, Emmanuel Nunes and Luigi Nono, whereas Nono produced almost all works of his late period in close relationship with the studio and its team there. Since its first performance, his “tragedia dell’ascolto” Prometeo has been realized through the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO and his former artistic director André Richard more than 50 times, and can be called as a milestone in music history of the 20th century that points the way.
The younger generation of composers is represented by such names as Mark Andre, Chaya Czernowin, José María Sánchez-Verdú and Georg Friedrich Haas. They can be considered as the ones who have written very successfully forward-looking pieces in co production with the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO.Outstanding music figures who can look back on a long term relationship with the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO are Mauricio Pollini, Claudio Abbado, Gidon Kremer, Jörg Widmann, Irvin Arditti and Roberto Fabbriciani.The EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO was awarded several international prices for his exemplarily work, recently with the Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for the CD-production of works by Luigi Nono.Since October 1st, 2006, Detlef Heusinger is appointed the new artistic director of the EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO.