Flammenklang Meiningen

16 hot air balloon engines , dancers, choir, ensemble and electronics
Year: 1996
Duration: 60:00 min
Date of first performance: May 11, 1996
Place: Theater Meiningen, Park

One of the most elaborate creations to date is FLAMMENKLANG MEININGEN (1996), composed for 16 hot air balloon burners, dancers, choir, ensemble, and accompanying band. In this evening-long work, the diverse configurations of the six-meter-high flames correspond directly with the musical performance.

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Flammenklang: It consisted of the original sounds of 16 hot air balloon burners and their studio-technical transformation – meticulously defined forms combined with free improvisations, the interplay of flames, artificial light, dance, and experimental choral singing. Through the use of the burners, light and sound found a unifying element. Firmly integrated into the composition by the Weimar composer Hans Tutschku, the flames initially soared into the sky as fireballs before transforming into wild, red torches that rose rhythmically, capturing all attention. From the red torches, bright blue-orange columns emerged through "oxygen injection"; the hissing grew louder, and even the "experimental choir" devolved into excited clicks and lamentations. The spectacle culminated in a long surge from all 16 burners arranged in the garden, whose flames, after subsiding, remained as small, bright points.

Performance
Preparation