ANCIENT songs that “transform a person into an animal” are to be performed at Scotland’s most experimental music festival.
Dedicated to unusual sounds and avant garde acts, Tectonics will this year bring works inspired by the environment to Glasgow for a weekend where, according to organisers, “anything can, and probably will, happen”.
Curated by Ilan Volkov, the principal guest conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the bill aims to “explore how sound, in all its guises, has the power to move us”. Content ranges from “the most delicate of audio whispers to the wilder shores of amplified discord”.
This year’s offering includes rock patterns interpreted as musical scores and an audio installation which will bring the sounds of America’s Housatonic River to the City Halls in May.
New Zealand-born Annea Lockwood made recordings at various points along the 150-mile waterway to create the piece, while Catherine Kontz used the sounds and calls of market traders from around the world to create a new piece to be performed in the Old Fruitmarket.
Now entering its fourth year, Tectonics will also feature opera for the first time, with Jane Dickson’s work Labyrinthine exploring female identity.
Meanwhile, Norwegian performer Ande Somby will bring yoiks to the stage, showcasing a pre-Christian vocal form practised by the Sami people “which sees a person transform into an animal through song”.
Renowned pianist John Tilbury will also play the world premiere of a BBC-commissioned piano concerto, while Nate Young, founder of US noise trio Wolf Eyes, collaborates on his first orchestral piece.
Poetry and viola playing will also feature, as will Glasgow guitarists and DIY outfit Phantom Chips, who will bring homemade instruments to the stage.
Volkov and other artists will also discuss their practice in meet-the-artists sessions.
Launching the programme, he said: “From orchestral composition to improvisation, from the most delicate of acoustic whispers to the wilder shores of amplified discord, Tectonics Glasgow continues to bring together local artists and those from around the globe to explore how sound, in all its guises, has the power to move us.”
Gavin Reid, director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, said: “It’s a real testament to the orchestra that artists from all over the world descend on Glasgow for what has become such an intriguing exploration of new music.”
Most of the performances will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Tickets go on sale from bbc.co.uk/bbcsso from today.
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