Programme                       

32 FOOT / the Organ of Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) / Arr. Eric Sleichim- BWV 598: Pedal-exercitium in G minor- BWV 582: Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor - Organ Chorale: Meine Seele- BWV 583: Trio in D minor- BWV 564: Toccata in C Major

Eric Sleichim (1958)

Storm by low tide

Johann Sebastian / Arr. Eric Sleichim- BWV 535: Prelude & Fugue in G minor- BWV 596: Concerto in D minor nach Vivaldi

Performers

Artistic Direction, Arrangements & Electronics: Eric Sleichim

BL!NDMAN [Sax] Soprano Saxophone: Pieter Pellens Alto Saxophone: Hendrik Pellens Tenor Saxophone: Piet Rebel Baritone Saxophone: Sebastiaan Cooman Tubax & Electronics: Eric Sleichim

Programme Notes

The saxophones of BL!NDMAN play the monumental organ music of J.S. Bach. In Bach’s time the organ had taken on the orchestral proportions that were fully used by the composer.

By dividing the parts, the brilliance of the compositions appears all the more clearly on the surface. By doubling with the tubax and electronics, the low sounds, so typical for the 32 foot pipes of the large organs, are generated. BL!NDMAN [sax] thus becomes a human organ, moved by breath.

The CD  32 FOOT / The Organ of Bach was awarded the KLARA for best CD recording in 2014.

Biography

BL!NDMAN: Ensemble 

BL!NDMAN has been at the top of the music world as a contemporary collective for more than 35 years. Originality and experimentation is what drives BL!NDMAN.  

From its foundation in 1988, inspirer Eric Sleichim resolutely drew the card of innovation with an unbridled passion for sound. By launching an idiosyncratic saxophone quartet, he introduced new playing techniques and significantly expanded the repertoire for the instrument.

BL!NDMAN does not think in fixed pigeonholes. It develops a musical research lab that houses an ongoing working process, with skill, flexibility and rebellion. The dialogue between various disciplines and musical worlds is central, and from the beginning led to collaborations with artists such as Ivo van Hove, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Heiner Goebbels. BL!NDMAN is a tone-setter in live music to silent films, the performance of early music with new instruments and the creation of immersive multimedia performances.

From 2006, BL!NDMAN expanded with the addition of new quartets. Meanwhile, the original quartet – BL!NDMAN [sax] – shares their expertise with BL!NDMAN [drums], BL!NDMAN [strings] and BL!NDMAN [hybrid]. This leads to a unique musical collective, composed exclusively of quartets. Driven by outrageous cross-pollinations, BL!NDMAN brings a quirky repertoire of old and new. A performance by BL!NDMAN is a total experience. It questions the ears, it caresses the eyes and it stimulates the listener to be open to challenging and never-before-visited worlds of sound.