Almost nothing works without electricity these days, and the Tonhalle Zurich is no exception.
In the event of a power cut, it would be pitch black in the hall, no tickets could be sold and the musicians would have to use a crowbar to gain access to the backstage area.
Without electricity, many other things would be different in the music world. For example, there would be no recordings and therefore no way of hearing how Stravinsky conducted his own works or how Maria Callas' voice sounded. Only those who play themselves would have music at home. You couldn't just listen to a favourite work when you felt like it, you might have to wait years for a performance. And what's more: there would be no electric guitars and no amplification systems, so no rock music either. The chapter on musique concrète would also have to be deleted from music history. And no one would ever have heard the ethereal sounds of a theremin.
But luckily all the electrical devices and instruments have been invented, and luckily there are musicians who know how to use them imaginatively. In the "Electric Fields" project, composer and electric guitarist Bryce Dessner energises works that were created in the days of torches and oil lamps. The French Quatuor Ébène joins forces with a live electronic musician under the title "Waves – acoustic meets electronic". And the best thing about it: such short circuits across styles and centuries do not incur any repair costs.
Translated with DeepL.com
