HERMESEnsemble / E-XXI

In the summer of 1965, Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote STOP for orchestra, an adventurous piece for which the orchestra is divided into six mixed instrumental groups. Sound and noise alternate: musical fragments appear, collide, and vanish again, interspersed with unexpected silences.

This season, Karin de Fleyt, Stijn Saveniers, and Maya Verlaak dive into Stockhausen’s original sketches. Their research resulted in STOP, Antwerpener Version, where one of the six groups is replaced by live electronics. The HERMESensemble will perform this world premiere.

Additionally, Maya Verlaak presents BeRoer, a new work in dialogue with STOP. While Stockhausen works with fixed time blocks, here they can be extended or shortened live. Verlaak developed an instrument with two rotating STOP signs: one selects a sound that only becomes audible when it stops, the other links rotation speed to pitch. This creates an exciting interplay between control and instability, to which the musicians constantly respond.