Alexander Schubert

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Alexander Schubert (born 13 July 1979) is a German composer. Much of his music is experimental, involving multimedia, improvisatory, and interactive elements.[1] He draws upon free jazz, techno, and pop styles.[2][3]

Biography

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Alexander Schubert was born in Bremen. He studied Bioinformatics in Leipzig, then spent a year at the Center for Art and Media Technology in Karlsruhe at the Institute of Music and Acoustics.[4] He received a doctorate in multimedia composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, studying under Georg Hajdu and Manfred Stahnke.[5] He teaches at the Musikhochschule Hamburg,[6] directs the electronic studio at Musikhochschule Lübeck[7] and has been a visiting lecturer at Darmstadt International Summer Courses.[8] A founding member of ensembles Decoder, Trnn, Schubert-Kettlitz-Schwerdt, and Ember, he has also pursued an experimental pop music solo project under the name Sinebag.[9]

Schubert's pieces have been performed at several international institutions, including Wien Modern,[10][11][12] ICMC,[13] SMC,[14] Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival,[15] DLF Forum neuer Musik,[16][17] IRCAM,[18][19][20] ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival,[21][22] and Blurred Edges in Hamburg.[23]

Music

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Jennifer Walshe, Matthew Shlomowitz and Zubin Kanga have situated Schubert within what Walshe terms "The New Discipline" of contemporary music, alongside such composers as James Saunders and François Sarhan.[24][25] Shlomowitz writes,

The remit of New Music has moved on and broadened out in the twenty-first century. Composers such as Joanna Bailie, Michael Beil, Johannes Kreidler and Jennifer Walshe have created work that: engages popular and everyday culture; develops historical ideas from the visual arts (e.g. conceptualism); utilises technology to create new musical instruments; combines field recordings with music to form new relationships between music and the world; and establishes a music-led interdisciplinary practice with multimedia and theatricalised works. Whilst evidently connected to each of these trends, Alexander Schubert's work is a distinctive voice within this milieu.[26]

Schubert's music makes extensive use of multimedia, including live video, internet-sourced content, lighting, and motion sensors.[27][28] Praised by some commentators for its fusion of avant-garde and pop styles,[29][30] immersive qualities,[31][32] and distinctive engagement with the internet,[33][34] Schubert's critics have found his work excessively confrontational[35] or conceptual.[36]

In 2024, Schubert releases the album Angel Death Traps in collaboration with Copenhagen-based contemporary music ensemble NEKO3.[37]

Accolades

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In 2009, Schubert won the Bourges Residency Prize, and his piece Nachtschatten (Nightshade) placed in the Canadian Electroacoustic Community "Jeu de temps" competition.[38] He won the European Conference of Promoters of New Music competition in 2012[39] and a Giga-Hertz Production Award in 2013.[40] Wiki-Piano.Net received an honorary mention in the 2019 Prix Ars Electronica.[41]

Writings

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Schubert has published articles on virtuality, post-digitality and multimedia composition. A collection of texts can be found in his book Switching Worlds.

Compositions

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Pieces with live electronics and visuals

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  • Coryllus Avellana (2007), for 49-channel tape, clarinet and electronics[42] (named after Corylus avellana, common hazel)
  • Bifurcation Fury (2012), for electric bass guitar, live electronics and lighting
  • Lucky Dip (2013), for midi-drumkit, keyboard, and electric guitar
  • Sensate Focus (2014), for electric guitar, bass clarinet, violin, percussion, live electronics and animated light
  • HELLO (2014), for any number of instruments, live-electronics, and video
  • Supramodal Parser (2015), four pieces for singer, electric guitar, saxophone, percussion, piano and electronics (with haze and lighting)
  • Star Me Kitten (2015), for singer, flexible ensemble, video, and electronics
  • SCANNERS (2013, rev. 2016), for string quintet, choreography and electronics
  • f1 (2016), for variable group of musicians and video
  • Codec Error (2017), for double bass, two percussionists, and lighting
  • Asterism (2020), for dancers, live-electronics, and lighting
  • Angel Death Traps (2024), for ensemble, live-electronics, and lighting

Interactive sensor pieces

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  • Laplace Tiger (2009), for drum kit, arm-sensor, live electronics and live video
  • Weapon of Choice (2009), for violin, sensor, live electronics and live video
  • Bureau Del Sol (2011), for drumkit, saxophone/piano/e-guitar/clarinet and timecode-vinyl
  • Your Fox's A Dirty Gold (2011), for solo performer with voice, motion sensors, electric guitar and live electronics
  • Point Ones (2012), for small ensemble and augmented conductor
  • Serious Smile (2014), for sensor-equipped ensemble (piano, percussion, cello, conductor) and live electronics

Instrumental pieces with live electronics

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  • Sugar, Maths and Whips (2011), for violin, double bass, piano, drum kit, and electronics
  • Bird Snapper (2012), for singer, saxophone, e-bass, e-guitar, percussion, and keyboard
  • Grinder (2015), for saxophone, percussion, keyboard, e-guitar, and electronics
  • Wavelet A (2017), for 4 electric guitars and electronics
  • Black Out BRD (2017), for any combination of instruments

Superimpose cycle

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  • Superimpose I (2009), for jazz quartet and electronics
  • Superimpose II – Night of the Living Dead (2009), for jazz quartet and electronics
  • Superimpose III – Infinite Jest: (2010), for e-guitar, drum kit, saxophone, and live electronics

Community pieces

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  • Public Domain (2017), for one or more performers and/or electronics and/or video
  • Silent Post (2018), for any number of instruments and/or electronics and/or video
  • Black Out Software (2018), for any combination of instruments
  • Wiki-Piano.Net (2018), for piano and internet
  • Behind the Scenes (2019), for any combination of instruments

Tape pieces

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  • Nachtschatten (2008)
  • Semaphores (2011)
  • Mimicry (2015)
  • The Password Disco (2017)

Installations

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  • A Set of Dots (2007), interactive audiovisual installation
  • Some forgotten patterns (2009), audiovisual installation
  • Unit Cycle (2013), audiovisual installation
  • Solid State (2016), sound- and light-installation
  • Black Mirror (2016), hour-long participatory concert installation
  • Control (2018), 90-minute participatory concert installation
  • A Perfect Circle (2019), participatory "therapy session" for audience, 2 speakers, 2 assistants, and supervisor
  • Unity Swtich (2019), interactive virtual performance installation

Video pieces

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  • It Was not an Easy Situation (2018), video and sound
  • Acceptance (2018), documentary piece for solo performer

Select discography

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CD

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  • 2005: Milchwolken in Teein (Ahornfelder: AH01) as Sinebag.
  • 2005: Près de la lisière (Ahornfelder: AH02) as Sinebag.
  • 2006: Oullh d'baham (Euphorium: EUPH 010) with Urs Leimgruber, Christian Lillinger and Oliver Schwerdt.
  • 2010: Aurona Arona (Creative Sources/Abhornfelder: AH18) with Urs Leimgruber, Christian Lillinger and Oliver Schwerdt.
  • 2011: plays Sinebag (Ahornfelder: AH16, 2011).

DVD

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  • 2008: Live Scenes (Euphorium Films: EUPH 011) with Urs Leimgruber, Christian Lillinger and Oliver Schwerdt.
  • 2011:Weapon of Choice (Ahornfelder: AH21).

References

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  3. ^ Stefan, Ilja. "Alexander Schubert – Der Digital Native". In Hajdu (2017), pp. 18–19.
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  42. ^ "Coryllus Avellana", alexanderschubert.net

Further reading

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English

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  • Kanga, Zubin and Alexander Schubert. "Flaws in the Body and How We Work with Them: An Interview with Composer Alexander Schubert." Contemporary Music Review 35, no. 4/5 (2016): pp. 535–553.
  • Thorpe Buchanan, Jason. Behavior and Compositional Process in Georges Aperghis’ Luna Park ProQuest 2229635361 (2019), pp. 68–70 (discussion of Star Me Kitten).

German

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  • Hurt, Leopold. "Zwischen Hardcore und Software: Ein Porträt des Komponisten Alexander Schubert", Positionen, 102, 2015, pp. 31-33.
  • Nonnenmann, Rainer. "Der Mensch denkt, die Machine lenkt: ein Porträt des Komponisten Alexander Schubert", MusikTexte (de), no. 153, May 2017, pp. 33-42.
  • Schubert, Alexander and Hanno Ehrler. "Verbindung von Körper und Klang: Alexander Schubert im Gespräch", MusikTexte, no. 153, May 2017, pp. 43-45.
  • Schubert, Alexander. "Binäre Komposition", MusikTexte, no. 153, May 2017, pp. 46-50.
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