2LP Release: Bartellow - Noosphere (ESP Institute)

ESP Institute artist Bartellow, one third of the project Tambien and otherwise known in the Contemporary Classical sphere as Beni Brachtel, returns to the label with his second full-length release, ‘Noosphere’. While currently heading the SVS label and residency series out of Munich, Beni’s resume expands well beyond electronic music to include immersive sound installations such as ‘The Adventure Of The Empty House’ (solo live performance across seven floors of Walter Henn’s Deckelbau building), a slew of compositions for the Bavarian State Opera (for which he doubled as conductor), and a prolific career of over twenty-five theater scores for institutions such as the Münchner Kammerspiele, Schauspiel Basel, Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, Berliner Ensemble, Schauspiel Köln, Schauspiel Graz and with directors Ersan Mondtag, Alexander Eisenach, Jessica Glause and Tobias Staab among others.

‘Noosphere’ is a compendium excerpting from theatrical scores ‘WUT’ (Elfriede Jelinek, at Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2020), ‘Ödipus and Antigone’ (Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2017), ‘Der Zauberberg’ (Thomas Mann, Schauspiel Graz, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2017), ‘Hass Tryptichon’ (Sybille Berg, Wiener Festwochen / Maxim Gorki Theatre, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019), ‘Wonderland Ave.’ (Sibylle Berg, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2018), ‘Die Verdammten’ (after Visconti´s film, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019) and ‘Roi Ubu’ (Alfred Jarry, Theater Neumarkt, Zurich, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2018).

The work traverses homages, infusing everything from Baroque to Impressionism, and while these types of references are certainly built into the canon of Theatre as a discipline, here we gather historic layers in an even wider net. Under the self-referential thumb of Contemporary Classical music, this sort of “hindsight” approach has been largely avoided, however, in today’s all-access arena, the constant stream of historic causal-chained events has opened a delta where anything is possible. This defines Bartellow’s stance among his colleagues as well as his cultural position as a composer.

Beni considers beauty a fleeting objective in the arts, that expression is often expected to follow notions of Destructivism or the unfulfilled. Art will pore over wounds, collective angst, mourning a loss of natural habitat or a fear of technological invasion, yet there is a bitter irreverence for the friction or salvation in beauty itself. Acknowledging this subjectivity — what one audience considers superficial pleasure may be deeply profound to another — he leans into musical instinct as if composing via divine conduit.

‘Noosphere’ conjures an array of suspense, ecstasy, melancholy, and dread, but in isolating the work from its theatrical component, Brachtel directs our focus toward formal qualities, clearing unimpeded space to conceive fresh narratives and examine dynamism and interconnectivity. In sympathy with often difficult theatre pieces, the passages can be dark and transgressive, but more importantly they remain relative to Brachtel’s circumstances at their time of creation. The title ‘Noosphere’ speaks to the evolution of human thought and knowledge, opening a door to subjective points-of-view. For example, ‘Nexus II On The Beach’ refers to both Roberto Musci’s ‘Water Messages On Desert Sand’ as well as the film ‘Bladerunner’, invoking the image of a android enjoying the sunset, but whether or not this abstraction may be considered beautiful depends the listener’s cumulative life experience and perspective.

This is hybrid chamber music, augmented by electro-acoustic layers, juxtaposing various periods and successively processing their residual themes into a trans-generational rendering of “now.” credits released January 26, 2024

All works composed, conducted, recorded and mixed by Beni Brachtel, 2017-2020.

A1, B1, B7, C1, C2, ‘WUT’ [excerpt], Elfriede Jelinek, at Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2020. Violin: Anton Roters, Emmanuel Hahn; Viola: Georg Roters; Violoncello: Johannes König; Doublebass: Juan Ruiz; Trombone: Marina Langert; Bass Trombone: Felix Schlueter; French; Horn: Lukas Rüdisser; Percussion / Drumset: Gabriel Hahn; Piano: Jean-Pierre Collot; Timpani: Benedikt Kurz. A4, B3, D1, D3, D4 ‘Ödipus and Antigone’ [excerpt], Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2017. Arnon Quartett: Violin: Emmanuel Hahn, Elias Schödel; Viola: Rosa George; Violoncello: Johannes Dworatzek; Record-ing: Moritz Colitti. B4 ‘Der Zauberberg’ [excerpt], Thomas Mann, Schauspiel Graz, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2017. B5 ‘Hass Tryptichon’ [excerpt], Sybille Berg, Wiener Festwochen / Maxim Gorki Theatre, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019. Violin: Gayoung Turrell, Emmanuel Hahn; Viola: Ludwig Hahn; Violoncello: Diego Hernandez; Double-bass: Robin Yermer; Drums: Daniel Scheffels. A2, B6, C4 ‘Wonderland Ave.’ [excerpt], Sibylle Berg, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2018. Piano: Claudia Chan; Violine: Francesca Reyter; Viola: Tabea Haarmann-Thiemann; Violoncello: Ulrike Schäfer. C3 ‘Die Verdammten’ [excerpt], after Visconti’s film, Schauspielhaus Köln, directed by Ersan Mondtag, 2019. Piano: Jean-Pierre Collot; Viola: Ludwig Hahn; Violoncello: Nargiza Yusupova, Walter Brachtel; Bassflute: Serena Amino; Bassclarinet: Arabella Puruckerl Bassoon: Kaspar Reh. D5 ‘Roi Ubu’ [excerpt], Alfred Jarry, Theater Neumarkt, Zurich, directed by Alexander Eisenach, 2018.