Erased Music: Julius Eastman

Concert

29.8.-31.8.2024

Turbinenhalle an der Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

A concert series against forgetting

Julius Eastman is the first artist in our new series Erased Music, which will run over the next three years. His work is the perfect place to start a series on musicians who have been unjustly forgotten and who are worthy of being placed back into the spotlight. Eastman was a composer, pianist and singer from New York. He wrote much more aggressive and haunting minimal music than that of his famous colleagues Philip Glass and Steve Reich. A homosexual African-American, he died in 1990, leaving behind works such as Evil N****r and Gay Guerilla. His pieces will be played by the Grammy-nominated ensemble Wild Up from Los Angeles which specialises in Eastman’s music.

Concert programmes

Buddha
The first of the concerts in the Erased Music series is Julius Eastman's Buddha. This unique composition is not limited to a specific instrumentation, number of musicians or length. Instead, the one-page score leaves plenty of room for interpretation. It is more of a guide, a predetermined framework within which Wild Up can move freely. The repetition of the few notes gives the concert an almost meditative character, which can be broken up again at any time. This freedom for the musicians means that each concert is a unique, unrepeatable experience.
Evil N****r/ Gay Guerrilla/ Crazy N****r
The mediative experience that is Eastman's Buddha is now followed by his most political works: Evil N****r, Gay Guerrilla and Crazy N****r. Three titles that were and are intended to provoke, to prevent people from looking away and to draw attention to the everyday nature of racism.
Packed with Eastman's usual intensity, rhythm and drama, Wild Up dares to show the master of minimal music once again in a big way.

Cast

Composition
- Julius Eastman
Wild Up
- Richard Valitutto (Piano) ,
- Vicky Chow (Piano) ,
- Andrew Tholl (Violin / Electronics) ,
- Darian Donovan Thomas (Violin / Electronics / Voice) ,
- Mona Tian (Violin) ,
- Seth Parker Woods (Cello) ,
- Shelley Washington (Alto Saxophone / Bari-Saxophone) ,
- Brian Walsh (Bass Clarinet / Bari-Saxophone) ,
- Christopher Rountree (Artistic director / Conductor / Synth / Voice)
Joined by
- Adam Tendler (Piano) ,
- Yshani Perinpanayagam (Piano) ,
- Les essences
Sound design
- Thomas Wegner
Production Manager Ruhrtriennale
- Sophie Gebauer
Technical Project Manager Ruhrtriennale
- Frank Böhle
Technician
- Carsten Funke ,
- Jan Kunz ,
- Fernando Quartana ,
- Andreas Semmler

Visit

Language

without language
Run time

Buddha: ca 4 h, no intermission
The audience can leave and re-enter the Turbinenhalle during the concert.

Evil N****r, Gay Guerilla, Crazy N****r: ca 3 h with intermission (1 h) after Gay Guerilla
Construction site information

Since 6 August, the A40 has been fully closed between the Bochum-West junction and the Bochum-Harpen junction due to the construction of a new bridge. Visitors to the Ruhrtriennale must be prepared for increased traffic on the diversion routes, which we have summarised for you here.