ALPONOM & STEPHEN O’MALLEY
YOU ORIGIN
Performances included in the Serralves em Festa festival programme.

'‘you origin’ is a conceptual composition by Stephen O'Malley, created in close collaboration with Balthasar Streiff for the Swiss ensemble alponom. Originally conceived as a site-specific work for the megalithic menhirs in Carnac, Brittany, it consists of four acoustic movements (pitches), each lasting one hour, performed twice at dusk and twice at dawn.
The musicians play in five pairs, creating a resonating soundscape into which the audience can immerse itself. Ten alphorns play long, cyclical tones based on natural overtone series. The fourth movement is performed with two pairs of alphorns and three pairs of large conch shells.
The composition is based on slow changes, subtile interferences, breath control, and repetition. The sound becomes a reference point for everything happening in the surroundings, and the shifting processes in nature and the environment are integrated into the whole, including the slowly changing light conditions brought about by sunrise and sunset.
The audience, as well as musicians, are strongly drawn back to themselves by the even, yet incredibly vibrant, soundscape. The music creates an intense connection between landscape, sounds, changing light, and weather, leading to a profound emotional engagement, enjoyment, introspection, and reflection.
29/05 > 20:45 | 30/05 > 05:45, 20:45 | 31/05 > 05:45
Related
Alponom / Balthasar Streiff alponom alponom is a group of alphorn players from Basel and the surrounding area. The group learned and honed our alphorn skills under Balthasar Streiff. Their repertoire ranges from traditional pieces to contemporary compositions. Balthasar Streiff Balthasar Streiff did basic studies at the Lucerne Jazz School (trumpet and vocals) and completed art studies at the Basel School of Design, graduating with a degree in sculpture. Various projects at the intersection of music, space, and sound led Streiff to the alphorn. His long-standing engagement with this iconic Swiss instrument is accompanied by projects spanning visual arts, theater, performance, film, literature, and a wide variety of musical styles. In 1996, he co-founded the internationally renowned duo Stimmhorn with vocal performer Christian Zehnder. In 2002, he co-founded and became the driving force behind Hornroh Modern Alphorn Quartet, with whom he explores the space between future Swiss tradition and contemporary music.