Music for an Open Space Vol.II is the latest composition by Ania Losinger and Mats Eser, in which they dedicate their purely acoustic percussion instruments – Xala II and marimba/gongs. The harmony of these instruments has grown, deepened and refined over many years. At the same time, it appears once again in a completely new light.
The structure of Music for an Open Space Vol. II is based on twelve pieces, all of which begin on a different semitone, are arranged chromatically moving downwards and are assigned to the three tempos medium, fast or slow.
In this work, the music is created from an infinite number of beats and empty spaces, which are woven into each other with pinpoint accuracy to form a net on which the sound expands in a circle. Delicate, yet wide and large. Captured in the echo of space.
Whether struck with the toe, the heel, a stick on the xala or a fan of mallets on the marimba – there is a whole universe behind every beat. The variety of sounds of the superimposed or interlocking rhythms is just as astounding as the precise visualization of these rhythms in the dancing body.
Xala II
The Xala II is a sound box made of twenty-four chromatically tuned padouk wood bars and four tuned, gong-like metal sound plates. The outer appearance is like a raft. Ania Losinger dances on her instrument in flamenco shoes and simultaneously plays it with two body-high wooden sticks. She sees the xala as a percussion instrument.
Marimba/Gongs
The marimba played by Mats Eser is a five-octave xylophone (Yamaha 6000). Its sound is complemented by elliptically arranged Asian gongs in all sizes. Mats Ezer’s unmistakable signature is immediately recognizable in the combination of virtuosic wood and long resonating metal.
Ania Losinger, dance and music performer, dances and plays on the world’s first floor xylophone – Xala. She developed the first unique piece in 1998/99 together with the instrument maker Hamper von Niederhäusern. Today there are several Xalas, differing in size and timbre. This invention enables a perfect fusion of music and dance.
Mats Eser is a musician, composer and producer. He is particularly interested in the richness of percussive sounds and the art of staging them musically. His music has long since transcended all stylistic boundaries and is immediately moving.
Ania Losinger and Mats Eser have been living and working together since 2004. They perform their compositions, concert performances, music theater productions, film and theater music projects worldwide.
