An Interview with Lê Quan Ninh
vs. Interpretation 2016
Our series of video interviews continues with the ninth in our series. Lê Quan Ninh is a French-Vietnamese percussionist who performed solo, as well as in a group performance with George Cremaschi and Julyen Hamilton. Next month we will be offering the final interview of this series, featuring the artist Christine Abdelnour.
In addition, enjoy this full solo performance by Lê Quan, which took place 1 May, 2016, at the National Gallery at Veletržní Palác.
The second vs. Interpretation festival, organized by the Agosto Foundation, took place in spring 2016 in Prague, and focused on music improvisation that extends into the fields of motion, the visual arts, and new approaches in composition. A wide variety of international performers and musicians participated, exploring the current state of improvised music and sound art, combining performances, graphic art, installations, and public events.
The festival included these artists: Christine Abdelnour, Knut Aufermann, Marcel Bárta, The Blavatsky Society, Theo Bleckmann, Book of Days, Tony Buck, Angélica Castelló, Paed Conca, George Cremaschi, Lloyd Dunn, Sabine Ercklentz, Les Femmes Savantes, Luboš Fidler, Andrej Gál, Julyen Hamilton, Handa Gote Research & Development, Hanna Hartman, Boris Hauf, Steve Heather, Audrey Chen, Jan Jirucha, Mazen Kerbaj, Michal Kindernay, Hans Koch, Marek Kundlák, Christof Kurzmann, Lê Quan Ninh, Pasi Mäkelä, Thomas Martinez, Lisa Mezzacappa, Microvomit, Christof Migone, Phil Minton, Martha Mooke, Andrea Neumann, Jérôme Noetinger, Novi_sad (Thanasis Kaproulias), Robert Ostertag, Andrea Parkins, The Peeled Eye, Porta Chiusa, Praed +, Prague Improvisation Orchestra, Tomáš Procházka, Ana Maria Rodriguez, Rouba3i, Sharif Sehnaoui, Martin Siewert, Michael Thieke, Miroslav Tóth, Ukamau, Daniel Vlček, Sarah Washington, Ute Wassermann, Christian Weber, Raed Yassin, Pavel Zlámal, Adam Železný, and Ladislav Železný.
All interviews were filmed by Dominik Žižka and conducted by Petr Slabý.
A classically trained percussionist, Lê Quan Ninh has worked with various contemporary music ensembles and was a founding member of Quatuor Hêlios (1986-2012). As an improvisor, he mixes acoustic and electroacoustic music, performance art, dance, poetry, experimental cinema, photography, and video.
In 2006, he founded ensemble]h[iatus, a contemporary music ensemble whose members are at the same time interpreters and improvisers.
Lê Quan’s discography counts about 40 CDs on European and North American labels. The translation of his book Improvising Freely: The ABCs of an Experience was published in 2014.
