I hear you

The phrase “Sorry I can’t hear you over the sound of my freedom”, originally used by the nationalist right in the USA, cynically mocks the opinions of others. The phrase reflects a decline in the culture of democratic debate and respectful interaction. Bojan Vuletić’s new work “sorry I can‘t hear you over the sound of my freedom” gives a disarming answer to this. From the demagogic texts of the small and big dictators of this world, elements are acoustically and visually extracted until new poetry emerges from the linguistic brutality. Exclusion becomes openness, inhuman laws are transformed into tender lyricism – swirled through by contemporary music that sparks new artistic dialogues. The expansive concert installation can be experienced through many loudspeakers distributed throughout the hall, so that the audience can freely choose its position in the room.

The new work will be performed by three outstanding soloists of international standing: the Romanian pianist Alina Bercu, who lives in Germany, the New York trumpeter Nate Wooley and the Polish violist Rafal Zalech. Composer Bojan Vuletić is involved in the live performance himself with an unusual typeface-electronics instrument.

The artists

US trumpeter Nate Wooley is considered one of the leaders of the American movement to redefine the physical limits of his instrument and has gained international recognition for his idiosyncratic style of trumpet playing. He is considered – not just in New York – to be one of the most sought-after trumpeters in the jazz, improvisation, noise and new music scenes. In 2019, he made his debut as soloist with the New York Philharmonic in the opening series of the season. Wooley has premiered works for trumpet by Christian Wolff, Michael Pisaro, Annea Lockwood, Ash Fure, Wadada Leo Smith, Sarah Hennies and Eva-Maria Houben. He received the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award in 2016, the Instant Award for Improvised Music in 2020, and the Spencer Glendon First Principles Award. In 2022, he was a NYSCA/NYFA Fellow.

Romanian pianist Alina Bercu has performed on many important music stages in Europe, America and Asia, including Carnegie Hall New York, Tonhalle Zurich and Tonhalle Düsseldorf. She has worked with renowned orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Orchestre de chambre Lausanne and the KlassikPhilharmonie Hamburg. Studio and live recordings by Alina Bercu have been included in the Golden Phonotheque of the Romanian Radio. Her debut CD with chamber music works by Schubert and Brahms was awarded the “Golden Label” (Benelux) and “Clé d’or” (France).

Rafal Zalech’s wide-ranging artistic activities move between performance, composition and the development of IoT devices for musicians. As a violist, he has performed at new music festivals on five continents and as a soloist with orchestras such as the Webern Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia and Divertimento. Zalech is a member of the Black Page Orchestra, the duo collective Nimikry and CEO of the smart-instruments startup DigitAize. Between 2010 and 2021, Zalech worked intensively with Klangforum Wien, one of the most recognised ensembles for new music, with whom he played over 100 concerts. In 2022, Zalech received the prestigious Erste Bank Composition Prize for his artistic life’s work.

Bojan Vuletić is a composer, sound artist and guitarist. Musical collaborations connect him with Markus Stockhausen, Nate Wooley, Bojan Z, the Mivos Quartet, the WDR Radio Orchestra and Choir and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has also written theatre music for over 50 productions and compositions for several contemporary dance pieces. Audio realisations of exhibitions in collaboration with artist Danica Dakić have been featured at documenta 12 Kassel, the Liverpool Biennale and the Venice Biennale, among others. Vuletić’s concert and interdisciplinary compositions have so far been performed in various countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the USA.

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Watch the video of an interview that composer and festival director Bojan Vuletic conducted with Nate Wooley in his studio here.