Nov. 9, 2019
Composer Highlight: Sarah Nemtsov
We perform Sarah Nemtsov’s trio [love] as part of The Story of One of my Follies on November 16th along with works by Lewis Nielson, Victoria Cheah and Nicolas Gombert. Tickets available here.

The piece is part of a larger work, Phoneme. Here Sarah discusses her inspiration for the piece, her influences, and musical utopias. 

What was your inspiration and experience in writing the Phoneme Cycle?
I got the commission to write a piece for Ensemble Meitar from Israel and  Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart from Germany. It was a project called "crossing borders". Of course this motto has (many) political connotations. To me it was very important to kind of relate to these connotations in many ways. To question them and hopefully evoke something. It was difficult work, of course, kind of painful. But I was also looking for utopias, for hope...

The singers have no text. They sing phonemes only – sounds and notation are taken from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The singers need to learn the phonemes as a new „language“ for this piece. The list of phonemes is (of course) incomplete, but consists of many different „phones“ from many different languages and different cultures. The use of the phonemes points to the infinite and borderless. As a sign of both our connectedness and of isolation, of speechlessness and the multitude of ways to communicate, of incomprehension on the one hand, and empathy on the other.

 The program notes include several quotes, what is the general theme linking them together and binding the piece?
There are four quotes, two quotes about Freedo, one from Virginia Woolf, one from Imre Kertesz, a quote I found on a wall and probably the main one: the well-known Leviticus 19,9 "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" - these 7 words give the titles to the seven movements.

 [love] piano trio – [your] 2 voices (soprano, alto), violin and cello – [neighbour] 3 voices (tenor, baritone, basso), bass flute, bass clarinet, bassoon – [as] ensemble (bass flute, bass clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano) – [you] prepared piano solo – [love(2)] 5 voices a capella – [yourself] tutti (5 voices and 6 instruments)

 It's so simple. And yet. If only. (The Hebrew original is not to be translated as easy actually, as you love yourself or as yourself or as he is like you... etc.)

 Can you discuss one of the quotes?
"free people cry" - a graffiti I have seen in 2017 on a wall in a smaller east German city. It haunted me since then in a strange way. And somehow I think there is a truth.

 My piece Phoneme is written so that all movements could be connected, all attacca - as one piece - but it has also (optional) 4 transitions - sounds, actions the singer (and musicians) could do between movements. The fourth transition is quite theatrical: the performers should look into each others eyes and cry. Silently. This transition couldn't be performed so far, it's utopian.

 However, this piece is about extremes, and empathy. The opening piano trio [love] is quite dark, angry. Attack, reverberation and decay - violin and cello are mostly playing on the fourth string - only a few times in higher register. But the music is kind of starting to "dance" after a while.

What are you working on currently? 
Right now I am writing a piece for Ultraschall festival Berlin - a piano solo with keyboard and it's a composition for a film, a collaboration with the film makers Shmuel Hoffmann (from US) and Anton von Heiseler (Ger). I won't say much for now, but I am pretty excited.

Afterwards I will write for Klangforum Wien, exciting too - I am grateful.

Who were important musical and artistic figures in your musical life and training?
Walter Zimmermann was my teacher in Berlin. I admire him as a composer, thinker, human being. It's almost ten years now I am not studying anymore, freelancer, finished with my studies, but I often question myself when writing, what would he tell me. Listen inside. But also look at the architecture... His music is unique. No one is writing like him. But also his way of thinking. I am right now reading a book with interviews ("Ursache und Vorwitz - Walter Zimmermann im Gespräch mit R. Toop) - it's absolutely enlightening and inspiring.

What do you do when you are not composing?
Playing/being with my kids, hopefully somewhere green.

 Sarah’s website: www.sarah-nemtsov.de