Holland Festival – 11.000 Saiten – Georg Friedrich Haas and Klangforum Wien

11,000 strings

11,000 Saiten, '11,000 strings', is the name of this new disproportionate composition by grandmaster Georg Friedrich Haas. Klangforum Wien asked him to compose a piece for the ensemble and 50 pianos. The idea for this project arose when ensemble director Peter Paul Kainrath was blown away by the sound of dozens of pianos being played mechanically simultaneously during a visit to a Chinese piano factory. Haas responded enthusiastically to the request and developed the idea into an impressive, emotional listening journey, like music for an invisible film.

Piano orchestra

In 11,000 Saiten, each of the 50 pianos is in tune individually, but about each other, they are 'tuned' in tiny steps: each piano sounds 1/50 of a semitone higher. This creates a surround 'piano orchestra' that, especially in combination with the phenomenal instrumentalists of Klangforum, offers an immense sound palette: from pure piano sound and timbres, which you would swear come from a synthesizer to pure noise and penetrating thunder. Add to this the art of Haas, who, in his urge to experiment, never forgets the human dimension, plus the monumental atmosphere of the gas holder: good for an unforgettable experience.