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YUEN SHAN (Michael Ranta)

Montag 31. August 2015 - 20:30

Stück für 4 Schlagzeuger und 8-kanalige Zuspielung
Klangregie: Michael Ranta


YUEN SHAN ist ein auskomponiertes Stück, bestehend aus 4 Sätzen, die, vom

Hinduismus inspiriert, das Leben in 4 Zyklen unterteilen.

Spiritualität und Anarchie treffen sich in bestem Einverständnis„.

Hartmut Geerken, Komponist, Publizist.

  1. Yin Shu – Geburt, Kindheit
  2. Gu-Luan (Ritual I) – Jugend, Lernen, Experimentieren
  3. I-Shr (Ritual II) – Erwachsenheit, Profitieren aus dem Gelernten und Experimentierten
  4. Li-Huai – Alter, Askese, Tod

Dauer: 78 Minuten

Teile aus diesem Stück sind bisher schon von verschiedenen

Schlagzeugquartetten aufgeführt worden.

An diesem Abend wird das Stück im Ganzen als 8 kanalige Präsentation

aufgeführt, die alle 4 Teile umfasst.

Jedoch werden die Live Anteile der 4 Schlagzeuger (von Michael Ranta

eingespielt) ebenfalls als Zuspielung in die 8 Kanäle integriert sein.

In 1970 Michael Ranta was at the EXPO in Osaka as percussionist, performing Karlheinz Stockhausen’s works in the spherical German Pavilion almost every day over a period of 6 months. During the breaks between and after the performances, Ranta had the opportunity to attend classes of tai-ji-quan, the internal Chinese martial art, a spiritual discipline based on the principles of suppleness and naturalness, whose goals are good health, longevity – and, eventually immortality.

Ranta was in such a way fascinated by the dancing-meditative character of tai-ji-quan, that, after the EXPO he went to China in 1972 – or, more precisely to Taiwan, in order to deepen the knowledge of this discipline in it’s native country. Initially he intended to remain in Taipei for only about 6 months, but he stayed there for seven years, until the end of 1979 (this could remind one of Hans Castorp’s story in Davos, as told by Thomas Mann in The Magic Mountain…). In Taiwan, Ranta dedicated himself intensively to the practice of tai-ji-quan and to chinese philosophy, in particular the way to Taoism (one must remember that Taoism – like all other religions – was suppressed during the first decades of the People’s Republic of China, but was still practiced in the Republic of China (i.e. In Taiwan, as well as in Hong Kong and overseas chinese communities in Asia). Ranta learned chinese and was lecturer in music history and percussion at various music colleges; in the late 1970’s he became professor of music at the Hwa-Gang Fine Arts High School. The engagement with tai-ji-quan and in general with chinese culture was decisive for Ranta’s artistic development. For instance, it influenced his way of playing percussion. In several compositions of Ranta and of other composers whose works he performed – particularly those of Jean-Claude Eloy – there are long periods in which the percussionist has to keep still in meditative positions.

Ranta’s place of daily practice of tai-ji-quan under master Wang Yen-Nien was Yuen Shan, a hill on the north side of Taipei. Here, in 1972 during the beginning exercises, Ranta had the first idea of a musical composition based on the four life cycles, that later would be entitled Yuen Shan, as homage to this place. In chinese, „shan“ means „mountain,“ while „yuen“ means „round“ or „perfect.“ Ranta explains furthermore that, in japanese, the word „yuen“ can take on additional meanings, like „peace“ and „harmony.“ This additional symbolical meaning of the title constitutes somehow the spiritual program of the work: the ultimate quest for balance between opposites, in a Taoist sense. (The Taoist tries to avoid the extremes, to be neither „too sad“ nor „too happy“…). The poetical programm of Yuen Shan is also somewhat influenced by indian astrological theories, according to which the human life consists of four cycles: the first one corresponding to birth and childhood, the second to youth, the third to adulthood and the fourth to old age. It is typical in indian tradition, that the householder, after having ensured the future of his family, retires from worldly attachments and goes alone into the forest (aranya) leading an ascetic and meditative life in order to prepare himself for death. Corresponding to the four stages of life, Yuen Shan consists of four parts, all with chinese titles.