Q-O2 - Christian Wolff

Christian Wolff (b. 1934) is one of the most intriguing and least-known composers in contemporary music. Like his peers John Cage and Morton Feldman, he is difficult to classify: his oeuvre does not belong to any one particular school. When you hear his music for the first time, it is as though you are experiencing something entirely strange. After you think about it for a while, however, you come to the conclusion that his music is actually very normal: as ordinary as any other repetitive activity of daily life, such as getting up, going to work, eating, doing the dishes, etc. His music is not suitable for passive consumption: it is primarily designed to be played, not just to be listened to. The idea of music as being something you do and not something that is done to you is both new and progressive. Much of his work can actually be performed by amateurs. With this programme, Q-02 and the composer himself aim to provide an overview of the multiplicity of his work.