Preface Music Workshop 2011

West- 'n' Ostinatos

Every year during apricot harvest time the Glatt&Verkehrt workshop gathers musicians from all over the world for one week of creative work at the Göttweig Monastery. A wonderfully ostinate state: individual, persistent, recurring, and each year at apricot harvest time at the Göttweig Monastery. It’s self-explanatory that the term belongs to the subject of music and plays a differentiated role as figure in high arts and popular music alike. Deeply existentially, this state affects us from the cradle to the grave. Indeed! Strangely swing-orientated and quite unapparent to the external world, the physical pulsates along the rhythmical ostinato of the heartbeat.

West- ’n’ Ostinatos: a pun with intentionally diverse, musical, geographical, and socio-political associations the 2011 team of instructors will account for. Guitarist Harri Stojka, the flagship of Austrian gypsy swing, will have his Göttweig debut. Afro-Brazilian percussion with Adriano Adewale will “move” us every day, while the Western European tradition of drone music and more can be expected from Rémi Decker. Hans Hassler’s heart tones pulsate and reason at the accordion, while Juan Pablo Villa will make the instrument of the voice resound in a breathtakingly distinct manner.

The workshop week’s structure allows for intense work with the instructor of one’s choice, for trying out something new with several instructors in the afternoon studios, for consolidating roles and repertoires in extra sessions, and for dancing at the daily dance bar. Plenary sessions offer the chance to practice with all instructors. The workshop addresses any groups of instruments and voices and wants to serve as an ideal way of advanced training for established ensembles.
This year’s program will certainly make your heart beat faster, too!

A hearty welcome!
Evelyn Fink-Mennel

“In change lies consistency—a safe motto for the Workshop to enter its twelth year.” (Albert Hosp)