Workshop / Masterclass with Noam Sivan

Prof. Noam Sivan is a pianist and composer and a pioneer in the revival of classical improvisation.
He plays fugues and four-movement sonatas extemporaneously, conducts orchestral and choral improvisations and collaborates with instrumentalists, singers, dancers and actors.
His solo album Ambiro’s Journey has been described as a “new milestone in the development of improvisation”.
Born in Haifa, Israel in 1978, Noam Sivan was Director of Improvisation at the Curtis Instituteand taught at the Juilliard School.
In the 2019/20 winter semester, he was appointed professor at the HMDK Stuttgart, where he introduced one of the world’s first master’s degree courses in piano improvisation in October 2020.

How is music created? What happens in the mind and body of the sound creator when improvising? How do instinct, intellect, identity, emotion and experience combine in improvisation? How does a performer recreate an already composed piece of music in performance? What can we take away from improvisation for our everyday lives?

  Villa Seligmann’s first pocket festival* on the theme of “Adventure Improvisation – A World of Unlimited (Musical) Possibilities” from November 7 to 9, 2024 will address these questions. The festival consists of four concert encounters, three lectures, a workshop and free improv interludes. The encounters will focus on the art of improvisation as an interface between identification, cultural heritage and experience.

Improvisation is a special kind of music-making in which composition and performance are combined in real time. It is also a basic component of historical performance practice and as such a primary source of music creation.

Improvisation can arise in all historical styles and musical genres. It is a matter of instinct, imagination, but also of experience and intellect.

Improvisation is above all a philosophy of life that consists of freedom of expression and form. Experiencing them in concert is a unique experience: we hear the music for the first time and at the same time witness the creative process.

  In a creative and informal setting, a comprehensive picture will be given of the physics, technique and manual skills through to the philosophy and abstraction of improvisation.
Artists and speakers such as Prof. Noam Sivan (Stuttgart/Israel), Prof. Markus Becker, Prof. Dr. Eckart Altenmüller, Prof. Roman Rofalski (Hanover) as well as Maria I. J. Reich, Ido Ramot and Damian Marhulets will come together under the artistic direction of pianist and composer Marina Baranova.
The participants also include students as well as the general public, who are not necessarily musically trained, and who can not only listen, but also take part in an open exchange of ideas and express their musical wishes.
The Taschen Festival is therefore not only aimed at musicians, but also at anyone who wants to gain an insight into this world of unlimited musical possibilities.  

“Pocket festival” is a term borrowed from the English (pocket festival).
It refers to the small format (mini festival) of the event, but also symbolizes the unexpected, surprising, unsuspected things that you can find in your own pockets.

Thu.
November 07, 5.30 – 9.00 p.m.

17.30 Admission, get-together, welcome by the artistic festival director, Marina Baranova and the organizer, Eliah Sakakushev-von Bismarck (Villa Seligmann) 18.00-19.00 LECTURE on the emergence of improvisation from a neuroscientific and holistic perspective by Univ. Prof. em.
Dr. med. Eckart Altenmüller , HMTM Hannover –PAUSE — 19.30-21.00 IMPROVISATION – A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES Concert encounter with the pianist, composer and improviser Prof. Dr. Noam Sivan (HDMK Stuttgart) followed by a salon discussion

In his program, Noam Sivan improvises both in historical styles – inspired by Bach, Chopin and other composers – and in the form of a musical journey that follows his stream of consciousness.
At its core, his Jewish identity is another source of inspiration.

TICKETS

Fri.
November 08, 9.30 – 18.00 h

09.30-14.00 WORKSHOP / MASTERCLASS by Prof. Dr. Noam Sivan with students

The event is open to listeners and passive participants.
It can also be attended only temporarily.
It is planned to present eight active participants with a lunch break of 30 minutes.
Applicants for active participation should send a detailed artistic CV to: bewerbung@villa-seligmann.de

TICKETS14.00-15.30 YOU DON’T PLAY WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC?
Lecture by
Maria I. J. Reich on historical improvisation –PAUSE–
16.00-18.00 REGARDING BEETHOVEN Concert by
Prof. Markus Becker (HMTM Hannover) with expansion on topics requested by the audience TICKETS

Sat. November 09, 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

11.00-12.30 THE SEASONS OF MY CHILDHOOD Matinée with
Ido Ramot (Israel) with piano improvisations on themes from P. Tchaikovsky’s “Seasons”, followed by a salon discussion

In his project based on Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons”, Israeli artist Ido Ramot uses music as a medium to build bridges and at the same time make visible the differences between people in terms of their upbringing and environment.
Alongside Tchaikovsky’s work, he presents his own improvisations inspired by the seasons of his childhood in Israel.
While Tchaikovsky musically captures the moods and landscapes of his Russian homeland, Ramot’s improvisations reflect the colors, sounds and atmospheres of Israeli nature.

TICKETS * * * 17.30-18.30 ASYNC: OF MUSIC AND ACCIDENT Philosophical lecture by Damian Marhulets on the ontology of chance, disturbed causalities, lemurian time wars and erogenous zones of reality –PAUSE– 19.00-22.00 KALEIDOSCOPE CONCERT Closing event of the festival with the pianists Georg Thoma, Ashley Hribar, Marina Baranova, Prof. Roman Rofalski (HMTM Hannover)

Improvisation is a catalyst for extended musical interpretation, independent of style, historical context and performance practice.
Improvisation opens up a further dimension in musical interpretation, in which a momentary newness is created. The creation of the work takes place for both the performers and their audience.

In this kaleidoscope concert, the diversity of the art of improvisation interacts with the individual uniqueness of the performers.
The performers thus bring the Taschen Festival to a close and at the same time open up a world of unlimited possibilities.

TICKETS

Early bird discounts are available on selected events until 30.09.2024. The festival pass gives you access to all events in the booked seating category:

Festival pass Great Hall: € 80,- Festival pass Salon: € 50,- Festival pass Study € 20,-

Book a festival pass

Alternatively, you can also book tickets for individual events:

• Lecture Prof. Altenmüller & concert Prof. Sivan Nov. 07, 6-9 p.m. € 26 / 18 / 5 (early bird € 20 /15 /5)

• Workshop Prof. Sivan Nov. 08, 09.30-14 h (passive participation) Unit price € 8

• Lecture M. Reich & concert Prof. Becker Nov. 08, 2-6 p.m. € 20 / 15 / 5

• Matinée I. Ramot Nov. 09, 11 a.m. € 23 / 15 / 8 (early bird € 20 / 15 / 8)

• Lecture D. Marhulets & Kaleidoscope concert 09. Nov., 17.30 € 26 / 18 / 5 (early bird € 20 / 15 / 5)

Ticket exchanges and returns Purchased individual tickets can be exchanged.
If there is a price difference within the same price category, the difference will be refunded.
If you return individual tickets, you will receive a voucher.
Cash refunds are excluded.
It is possible to exchange festival passes from one category to another.
Refunds of festival passes are excluded.
All events (with the exception of the workshop on 08.11.) will be sold in three price categories: Large Hall (max. 33 seats), Salons (max. 50 seats) and reduced rate for pupils, students and trainees.
There is free seating in all price categories. Remaining tickets can be purchased at the box office (cash only).

Tickets are available in the webshop of this website available.
Festival passes can also be purchased by sending an e-mail to karten@villa-seligmann.de or by calling 0511 844887-200.

Admission is always 30 minutes before the start of the event.