Vortex Temporum

Send us Fan Mail In the 46th episode of Vortex Temporum, Swedish composer Malin Bång (Sävedalen, 1974) explores the identity and potential of acoustic objects in contemporary music, arguing that any physical item, from drainage pipes to household boxes, can transcend its utilitarian function to become a musical instrument. Through the lenses of "sound ecology" and the philosophy of &quot...

Send us Fan Mail A few days before ars ad hoc presents the Portuguese premiere of his String Quartet 2.5 "Playing with Seeds" [2017] at the Serralves Museum, American composer George E. Lewis   (Chicago, 1952) shares some reflections on his long-standing fascination with the classical trope of depiction in American music. A professor in Columbia University’s Department of Music and the E...

Send us Fan Mail As listeners will soon notice, Portuguese composer Luís Salgueiro (1993) moves with ease between philosophy and music — two territories that, in his work, often mirror one another. In this episode, we join him in a quiet exploration of how thought becomes sound and how language shapes what we hear, while listening to a few fleeting excerpts from his own music. Do we still have the...

Send us Fan Mail After the summer break, we return with composer Ludger Brümmer (Werne, 1958) as the guest of the first episode of the 2025/26 season. Like many composers, Brümmer cannot resist speaking about music — yet he does so in a uniquely compelling way. The former director of ZKM shares insights into his approach to sound: the role of structure and intuition, space as narrative and as a fi...

Send us Fan Mail Among the many ways of categorising composers, one is to distinguish between those who like to follow the rules and those who have the impetus to question them. As far as we can tell from listening to his documentary “dumpsterdiving and food saving”, Alessandro Perini (1983) belongs to those who like to defy the rules. He is the author of the longest episode of this podcast, with...

Send us Fan Mail A few days before the Portuguese premiere of Silvia Borzelli 's (Rome, 1978) A Self-portrait (with Anatsui in the background) [2022], this Netherlands based Italian composer shares some insights on her own music, erosion, resistance and whatever comes before music. credits: stalagma (Anna Politkovskaja in memoriam) [2007], for piano | Emanuele Torquati > piano // zattere [...

Send us Fan Mail Right before the release of the album “City Walk”,  in which Nuno Aroso and his ensemble (Clamat - colectivo variável) perform João Pedro Oliveira   (Lisbon, 1959) percussion music, Portuguese composer based in Santa Barbara - California, tells us about the universe from which his music arises. Would it all be rock? credits: In the House of the Glass King [2021], concerto for mari...

Send us Fan Mail One of Sivan Cohen Elias ’ (Jerusalem, 1976) major interests must be sound puppetry. In Vortex Temporum episode number 39, this Israeli composer lets us listen to a conversation she has with her husband and collaborator, Rey Hulme, about this central matter of her own music. credits: How to Make a Monster [2021], for a performer with objects and live electronics | performance by W...

Send us Fan Mail In episode 38 of Vortex Temporum podcast, Sara Stevanović (Belgrade, 1998) reflects on Harry Lehmann's 'Ideologiemaschinen: Wie Cancel Culture funktioniert'.  credits: search: pink fingers fragile archives [2024]. live performance by Ensemble Recherche at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik festival 2024.  vortextemporum.com

Send us Fan Mail Swiss composer with roots in Trinidad and Tobago Jessie Cox (1995) reflects on what music can be beyond music. Isn’t it about existence after all ? credits: Invocation: Nebula , from When You're a Star [UT007] vortextemporum.com