Can classical music groove?

Absolutely! At least when the drummer and Beethovenfest Fellow, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, is involved. On 19 September, he and pianist Kateryna Titova will be reinterpreting well-known piano works by Ravel and Mussorgsky with the addition of drums, gongs, tablas, and rhythms from Africa and India.

You're known for combining drums with tablas and Indian rhythms. How did you come up with this idea?

Bernhard Schimpelsberger: I was very fortunate to have travelled to India early in life. I have been researching and travelling for a good 20 years now. I have also studied African music intensively, especially North African cultures, including those in Morocco. I have also explored the traditions of Cuba and Brazil, which are influenced by the African diaspora. Now, at the Beethovenfest with Kateryna Titova, I have the opportunity to experience all these musical worlds anew through the lens of classical music.

In what ways does European classical music differ from African or Indian musical traditions?

The importance of rhythm is different. Throughout European music history, melody and harmony have been prioritised over rhythm. This is also related to the performance situation. In many traditional musical cultures, performances take place in very small spaces: on a carpet, in a kitchen or in a church, for example. In contrast, the musicians in a classical orchestra sit very far apart. This makes it difficult to perform rhythmically complex music over such a distance. I am currently working on several projects with orchestras. These projects are teaching me a great deal about rhythm in classical music. Language and singing play a significant part in this. Additionally, tension and transitions are created through tempo by speeding up or slowing down. I call this ›fluid time‹. However, it is difficult to combine with a groove that relies heavily on regular beats, as in some African or Indian music.

What percussion instruments will you be playing for your project?

My instrumentation is a combination of percussion and drums. It’s similar to a drum kit in that I play it with my feet and hands, but I’ve replaced many of the drums. I have African and Indian drums, Chinese gongs, and Brazilian rattles.

The programme includes arrangements of Mussorgsky’s »Pictures at an Exhibition«, Ravel’s »Alborada del gracioso«, and a Prokofiev piano sonata. Why did you choose these particular pieces?

Ravel represents the Impressionist era. This tone-painting music works wonderfully with my percussion instruments. I love painting with percussion, sometimes playing extremely quietly. »Alborada« also thrives on flamenco dance rhythms. The same goes for »Pictures at an Exhibition«: I find the musical colourfulness very appealing. I hope that people will get to know this well-known piece in a completely different way.

That seems to be more than just an arrangement.

That’s right — I don’t merely arrange the original music for different instruments. I would rather call it a reinterpretation. It’s about approaching these works with knowledge of different rhythmic and musical languages. They are infiltrated by them, so to speak.

What conclusion did you come to from the project – can classical music groove?

Yes, absolutely. But it must be within the fluid tempo that is so characteristic of classical music. If you impose a rigid beat on this music everywhere, you lose something. However, sometimes a metrical groove works very well. My interpretations strike a balance between metrical and fluid time, and between musical worlds and languages.