Stored and unleashed time at the Dampfzentrale Bern

What exactly is meant by memory? A hard disk? An old farm building? Or perhaps the human brain? Questions of this kind accompanied us on this winter evening in the Kesselhaus of the Dampfzentrale, where the next special feature was immediately waiting - 22 instruments were ready on stage, including a harp and two large percussion instruments. We waited even more eagerly for the first sounds and were surprised once again by a solo viola, which searched for fixed pitches for almost minutes with endless glissandi.

In this work for large chamber orchestra, composed between 2008 and 2013, each of the six Memory an independent soundscape that is characterized by its specific atmosphere and musical language. In it, Poppe develops a world of contrasts: from gentle, lyrical passages reminiscent of quiet meditation to powerful and rhythmic outbursts that shake up the audience. The music is not always easy to understand, and it often takes the listener down new emotional paths. At the concert, you could suddenly feel how the sounds changed the mood in the hall; sometimes to concentrated attention, often to exuberant cheerfulness.

How time flies

A central aspect in Memory 1-6 is the play with space and time. Poppe stretches and compresses the musical flow of time. This creates a feeling of constant movement and change that inevitably captivates the listener. The individual Memory can be understood as different spaces, each with its own perspective on the passing of time. Sometimes it seems to stand still while the sounds expand endlessly, then again the action accelerates into a brilliant ride into the unknown. The combination of traditional orchestral instruments with occasional electronic elements creates a unique soundscape that is both familiar and strange at the same time. Poppe manages to build a bridge to different musical epochs and at the same time develop a completely new musical language.

His cycle is a challenging piece that requires a high degree of technical skill and interpretative precision. In addition to virtuosity, it also requires the musicians to have a keen understanding of the complex structures and subtleties of the composition. The two ensembles fully met these requirements on this evening. Under the direction of the German conductor Gregor A. Mayrhofer, who acted with impressive authority and clarity, the performers succeeded in giving a performance that emphasized both the structural sophistication and the tonal diversity of the work. Together, they ensured that the dense, sometimes brittle textures were never overwhelming, but always remained precise and transparent.

How order and chaos are connected

Memory 1-6 developed into a dialog between the musicians, the audience and, to a certain extent, the composer over the course of around 70 minutes. With this cycle, Poppe invites the audience to listen actively and to engage fully with the music. It is important to him not to send any interpretative hints in advance, no conceptual clues should predetermine the experience. The results are as surprising as they are individual. Often various synthesizers seem to howl or wail at the same time, sometimes the strings sound like scattered data carriers in the last moments before their disintegration; and again and again the sounds seem like a subtle representation of the interaction of order and chaos.

The Dampfzentrale boiler house, clad entirely in black, once again proved to be a fitting venue. The acoustics were suitably dry, the lighting perhaps a little too contrasting at times. Nonetheless, the venue also seemed to easily add this performance to its now rich storehouse of contemporary art.

The performances took place on December 17 and 20, 2024 in Bern and La Chaux-de-Fonds respectively. Concert excerpts will be published on YouTube at a later date.