#14 Ascolta Akusmatische Hörstunde

Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology / (ICST) Zurich University of the Arts

#14 ascolta Akusmatische Hörstunde

Listening twice

Experimental 22.04.2025, 18:00 Toni-Areal, Kompositionsstudio 3.D02, Ebene 3, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Zürich Eintritt frei

In dieser Hörstunde widmen wir uns einem Klassiker von Karlheinz Stockhausen:

Kontakte

KONTAKTE

No.12: KONTAKTE (Contacts) for 4-channel tape 1958-60 (35:30)

KONTAKTE is Karlheinz Stockhausen’s fifth electronic tape composition, following ETUDE, STUDIE I & II, and GESANG DER JÜNGLINGE. The composition plan—spanning approximately 700 sheets—was developed over six months (1958–1959). Stockhausen then realized the work at the WDR Electronic Music Studio with technicians Gottfried-Michael Koenig and Jaap Spek between September 1959 and May 1960. The premiere took place on May 10, 1960, at a festival concert for the International Society for Contemporary Music in Cologne.

In this lesson, we will listen to Kontakte twice in two different versions:

A 5.1 DVD production from ICST/ZHdK.
A rare Ambisonics (UHJ) recording, offering a unique spatial listening experience.

We look forward to comparing these versions.

Additional Information:

Kontakte
ICST Production
UHJ Production
- Stereo UHJ: A process that encodes strictly horizontal Ambisonics signals into a compatible two-channel stereo format using matrix technology originally developed for Quadraphonics. However, this encoding is lossy.
- We decoded the original UHJ into a 7th-order ambiX B-format and used the ICST Ambisonics MultiDecoderfor playback.