Frames: The double interview

Two ensembles have been recognised in 2024 as world leaders in new music – they share part of their name and a passion for experimentation. We asked the Broken Frames Syndicate from Frankfurt and Frames Percussion from Barcelona what we can expect from their joint concert at Beethovenfest.

Broken Frames Syndicate: We are an energetic group, inquisitive, keen to experiment and always a joy to experience on stage. The demand we place on ourselves is clear: we want to pass on this fun and passion for contemporary music to our audience so that everyone leaves the hall full of new impressions. 

But the work backstage is at least as intense – because we care a great deal about the conceptual content that we bring to the stage. Our programmes always have a larger context, a question or a political theme. The fact that (our) music and art can do both – multifaceted emotion and reflective detail – is what makes Syndicate so special.

Frames Percussion: We always try to keep in mind the audience when we plan our concerts, and we believe that it’s a group known for their innovative and joyful approaches to new music while maintaining a high level of preparation and respect for the music.

Since the percussion is at the core of the ensemble, making new music was the most logical choice for us. The world of percussion has experienced an incredible growth in western academic music since the second half of the 20th century and the role of the percussionists in ensembles has become much more active than in the past. 

Because we don’t do well with counting rest measures to play a lonely triangle note in an orchestra, we decided to create Frames Percussion and try to have as much fun as possible.

Broken Frames Syndicate: If Beethoven had to explain his music to Claudio Monteverdi – who in turn lived 200 years before him – his answer and ours would probably not be so different. After all, he was one of the most revolutionary new thinkers of his time and knew his way around the avant-garde: It’s about enjoying the unfamiliar, about breaking new ground. You also have to expect resistance. Then as now. So we wouldn’t be able to tell him much that’s new to him. Except perhaps how international our influences are and how varied our musical friendships are today. That one and the same programme at our concert at Beethovenfest Bonn is first about an Iranian mother, while a little later it sounds like a Chinese metropolis and suddenly George Lewis seems to be screaming from the piano. If he were there, Beethoven would certainly have enjoyed it.

Frames Percussion: We’d tell him that even though the quantity of music produced today seems overwhelming, if he stays curious and open-minded he’ll surely find something that blows his mind or moves him. 
There are even composers today who have deaf people in mind and they write music to listen through our teeth, our bodies or our eyes – so we have the hearing problem covered, no need to worry!

Broken Frames Syndicate: Of course, all the pieces in the programme are favourites. But one piece actually has a very special meaning for us: the very intimate »MOM« by Golnaz Shariatzadeh, which she wrote for us at the beginning of the year when we met on our US tour at Harvard University. Golnaz combines very delicate and complex sounds (partly influenced by Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 31) with a self-drawn video animation and talks about very personal topics. This touches us deeply and we are delighted to be able to bring such a strong and topical piece to Bonn.

Frames Percussion: Our favorite piece is »Opera (forse)«, translated »Opera (maybe)« by Italian composer Francesco Filidei. We think it is not so common to find composers that introduce humorous elements to their work, and it can be a breeze of fresh air in the field of new music – which is often seen as very ›serious‹. On top of that, it’s a piece that requires more than 60 objects/instruments and more than 20 different bird calls, that make sure that every moment in »Opera (forse)« surprises us with the discovery of new unexpected sounds.