Tanja Orning: The Polyphonic Performer

Field of study: Performance Practice

Since World War II, a new repertoire has arisen, that in many respects proposes a new role for the cellist and the cello, breaking with the previously established role of the musician. The purpose of this project is to investigate, conceptualize, and document this new role on the basis of central works by four composers of contemporary cello repertoire: Projection I (1950) and Intersection IV (1953) by Morton Feldman, Pression (1969) by Helmut Lachenmann, Opus breve (1987) by Klaus K. Hübler, and Studies #1-3 (2007, 2009, 2011) by Simon Steen-Andersen.

The aesthetic strength and expressive clarity of these works provide rich incentive to explore new approaches to the music, the resources and expertise called for, and the challenges that they represent. This knowledge contributes to clarifying a contemporary performance practice, and to understanding how practice circles around four main topics: notation, Werktreue (fidelity to the work/text), idiomaticism, and body (the physical relationship between instrument and performer).

In order to explore and analyze these remarkable and peculiar pieces, we require theoretical and methodical applications that correspond to the nature and demands of the research. Orning argue that the performer needs new skills and expertise for this repertory, and investigates these new requirements through her own process of practice and performance. In seeking the answers to the research questions, she draws on artistic practice as a vehicle, tool, or method that situates her study within artistic research.

The project is thematically confined to the repertory of my own instrument, the cello; however, the ambition of the project is to contribute to the expansion of composers, conductors, and musicologists alike. In addition to the dissertation, the artistic result of the project comprises a DVD recording of Orning's performances of the central works, and a concert series, CELLOPRAXIS undertaken during the course of the research period.

The dissertation

Title: The Polyphonic Performer: A Study of Performance Practice in Music for Solo Cello by Morton Feldman, Helmut Lachenmann, Klaus K. Hübler and Simon Steen-Andersen.

The dissertation comprises a monograph and a DVD recording. It is written in English.

Both parts (text and DVD) are available from NMH's library. The monograph is also available from NMH's digital archive Brage.