In complex layers of sound, Sarah Nemtsov creates a poly-dimensional utopian vision of urban life – confusing, energetic, and sometimes nerve-wracking: “It has to do with the tension between consequence and chaos.”

In “Zimmer I-III”, Nemtsov explores the extremes between an “aesthetic of fragility” and “the courage to be ugly”, making use of analog effect devices and theatrical gestures to produce abstract visions of reality. Three of her chamber music pieces can be viewed as “extensions” of the “Zimmer” series. In these pieces, the electronic element of the music functions as “inherent counterpoint”: “amplified imagination” juxtaposes various layers of acoustical reality, “drummed variation” evokes the patterns of technoid music, while “implicated amplification” uses a looping station to create manic worlds of repetition. In “white eyes erased“, Nemtsov releases a flood of energy that pushes far beyond the academic propriety of much New Music.

This recording brings together three of the most exciting New Music ensembles of our time: the Sonar Quartet, the Adapter Ensemble, and members of Ensemble Mosaik.

First Recordings

Co-production with Deutschlandfunk