Noto, Alva + Ryuichi Sakamoto With Ensemble Modern

Utp_ [CD]

Label: Raster-Noton Country: Germany

"On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the city of Mannheim, Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) and Ryuichi Sakamoto were invited to develop an audio-visual performance together with Ensemble Modern. The concept of the arising piece named "Utp_" is derived from the rasterized structure of Mannheim (built as an ideal city in the 17th century), also making reference to the musical history of the city. The result of the collaboration, like the other projects by Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vrioon (2002, R-N 050CD), Insen (2005, R-N 065CD), Revep (2005, R-N 072CD) and Summvs (2011, R-N 132CD), is a synergetic mixture of electronic and natural sounds that is expanded by the potential of the classical instruments of Ensemble Modern. Utp_, the title of the new composition, is deduced from the term "utopia" and hence describes an approach that leaves space for further extensive associations. This is a re-release of the album as audio CD-only. Utp_ was previously released as a more expensive 2 disc set with a DVD & CD together."-Raster-Noton