Tiziana Bertoncini and Thomas Lehn have been collaborating since 2002.
The special feature of the duo is the alchemy created by the meeting of the classical and the electronic instrument. The different nature of sound, the characteristics and histories of violin and analogue synthesizer could recall a friction. Actually, what happens is a sort of mirror game, in which the roles of the instruments are continuously exchanged. Bertoncini and Lehn move in an abstract territory, their approach to sound is contemporary. Nevertheless their consideration to music is quite classical insofar as based principally on tension/release, rupture, intensity and expressivity in all its facets.
Their first CD Horsky Park, was released in spring 2011 on British label Another Timbre.
Beside their duo work, they play in larger or extended constellations, like the ensemble]h[iatus, an international ensemble with an extensive experience in the field of improvisation and interpretation of contemporary pieces. With this ensemble they played in numerous festival of contemporary music and premiered works by young and established composers like for example Vinko Globokar, Peter Jakober and Jennifer Walshe.
Tiziana Bertoncini graduated in classical violin at Siena Conservatory and painting at the Fine Arts’ Academy in Carrara. After being playing in orchestras and chamber music ensembles, she focused on contemporary music,written and improvised. Her work is oscillating between a personal research on the instrument and its sound possibilities, towards composition and collaboration with artists of other medias. At the same time her interest is focused on the crossing and synthesis between visual elements and music/sound.
She performed in many international contexts and festivals and has been part of numerous dance, theatre, video and multi-media projects, contributing the musical part of them.
Her solo work includes compositions, performances and installations.
Since the early 1980s Thomas Lehn has been working as a author and performer of contemporary music. As an interpreting pianist he has been playing concerts since 1982 - performing both contemporary new music including numerous first performances and traditional composed music of the classical and romantical period.
Developed parallel to his work as a pianist, since the early 1990s his major and widely reknown work has been performing and producing live-electronic music. Rooted in the experience of a wide spectrum of musical fields based on his background as an interpreting and improvising pianist in classical-, contemporary and jazz-music and having been involved in numerous other projects like music theatre, dance, multi-media, studio pre-/post-production etc., he has been developing an individual 'language' of electronic music.
The electronic equipment he uses consists of analogue synthesizers of the late 1960s, and since 1994 in particular the EMS Synthi A. Besides the substantial sound qualities of its analogue synthesis, the facilities of this modular instrument - for example to modify electronic sounds very directly as well as to combine and to control several parameters of the sound synthesis at the same time - allows him to spontaneously act in close contact with the various structural degrees of the musical process.
Long term collaborations are ensembles like KONK PACK, TOOT, THERMAL, FUTCH, MIMEO, SPEAK EASY, 6IX, VARIO-34, as well as the duo works with Marcus Schmickler, Tiziana Bertoncini, Gerry Hemingway, Paul Lovens, Frédéric Blondy Urs Leimgruber and John Butcher. More recently formed ensembles are the duos with Benoît Moreau and with the video artist Kjell Bjørgeengen, trio formations with John Butcher involving pianists John Tilbury and Matthew Shipp.
COncert of Tiziana Bertoncini & Thomas Lehn is kindly supported by Goethe institut and Italian cultural institut in Prague.
Páchová/Zbořil/Zlámal
Lucie Páchová´s projects range from music, theatre, film to multimedia and new media. She writes music for various ensambles (Talaqpo, Dunami, Paliomnesis, Silvia quartet). She is also member of several improvisation ensembles: Marijan, Prague improvising orchestra, NAU, Divergent connections etc.
Michal Zbořil
He plays semi-modular analog synthesizers. For a few years performed with Moravian experimental noise band ZABLOUDIL/A. Occasionally cooperates with BBNU, S/M+ and B4 projects. Actually member of IQ+1, and cooperation with Martin Blažíček in /Double slide projection/ also. Member of Prague improvisation orchestra.
Pavel Zlámal
Clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophones player, experimenter, improviser. After finishing master's studies at JAMU Brno (clarinet - classical interpretation), now continues in a doctoral program focused on contemporary and experimental music, with special emphasis on free improvisations: beyond the concept of solo improv’s and having performed with various improvisers (Hilary Jeffery, Rod Paton, George Cremaschi, Didrik Ingvaldsen, Kazuhisa Uchihashi, Seijiro Murayama, project ÖNCZkekvist, etc.) he founded and runs his own improvising projects - Brno Improvising Unit, Next Phase. His musical versatility, being developed also during studies abroad (2006-2008 Sibelius Academy Helsinki), is documented by engagements in a variety of ensembles across genres e.g.: opera orchestra of National Theater Brno, Brno Contemporary Orchestra, B-Side Band, The Fireballs, Gone Hepsville, as well as external cooperation with Brno Philharmonic, Gustav Brom Big Band, including different jazz, alternative or mainstream bands.
