The sound of a water bottle

Alexej Gerassimez proves that you can drum on anything. For example, he wrote a piece for a half-filled plastic bottle as part of his »Five Elements« show at Beethovenfest, where he will also play music on stones and in water basins as well as on traditional percussion instruments. Get to know the likeable multi-talent with unusual hobbies in the interview.

Are you an early riser?

I’m more of a night owl than an early riser. That’s partly because I usually perform in the evenings. I performed at the Konzerthaus Dortmund yesterday. We finished at 11 p.m., after which we had to dismantle the drums and load them into the van. I didn’t get to bed until 2 a.m. As an artist, you don’t get regular sleep.

Did you always want to be a musician?

I was born into a very musical family. My parents are professional musicians, as are all my siblings. It wasn’t so much a question of whether I wanted to make music, but which instrument I should play. That’s why music comes very naturally to me as a means of expression. It’s just like how speaking, painting or writing stories comes naturally to other people. In theory, I don’t need an audience for that. However, I’m happy when there is one because you create this shared experience at a concert. However, I also enjoy sitting alone at the drum kit and playing whatever comes into my head. Making music is essential to my survival. When you create art, it’s important that there are no conditions attached.

What is your favourite percussion instrument?

That’s a difficult question. My style of drumming involves playing on almost anything I can get my hands on. I usually only have a favourite instrument temporarily. But what I really enjoy playing is the snare drum. It’s a straightforward instrument. You hit it with a stick and it makes a noise. No frills.

When did you start playing the drums?

My father didn’t want me to play the drums because he thought they were too loud. As a child, though, I played on anything I could find. I collected pots, cans, glasses, and other rubbish from everywhere. Anything that made an interesting sound. Then I would hoard these objects in my room, line up my cuddly toys on the bed, and play concerts for them. Even now, I still discover instruments everywhere. I’m also constantly buying new percussion instruments. I’ll probably stop by the music shop in Bonn while I’m there.

How is art created?

The difficult part is the transition from nothingness to creation. This has a lot to do with selection. When you stand in front of the jam shelf in a supermarket, for example, you’re faced with 50 varieties. With that many choices, it can be overwhelming. I’ve noticed that setting boundaries is very important to me in creative processes. For example: I paint a picture – I have a canvas, but I’m only allowed to use three brushstrokes in one colour. This channels the creative process completely differently to if I had an endless number of colours at my disposal. I’ve found it exciting to set limits on an artistic process and then break out of them. This is also the idea behind my performance, »Five Elements«, which will be staged at Beethovenfest.

You will be performing your own composition, »Suite of Elements«, with three other percussionists at Beethovenfest. What limitations did you impose on yourself when composing it?

First, I considered all the possibilities: What percussion instruments are there? What materials are they made of? I then created a kind of framework for myself while composing. I sorted the percussion instruments according to their material. For example, timpani and snare drums are made of skin. Wood, for example the marimba and wood blocks. Metal, for example cymbals. Then I chose water and stone as additional materials. Each part of the piece »Five Elements« is limited to one of these material groups. This reduces my colour palette. What can I achieve with the limited timbres of just one family of instruments? That is the principle of the piece.

What inspires your percussion creativity?

I walk through the world with open ears — it is part of my identity. I grew up in Essen. As a child, I had to cross a huge junction on my way to school. There were traffic lights with electrical boxes on the traffic islands that clicked. There were five or six of them, and together they created a clicking concert. I walked from traffic island to traffic island, hearing different rhythms as I went. I thought it was cool, but apparently I was the only one excited about it. Later, I went back there at night to record this rhythm. I always carry the recording with me on my mobile phone, alongside other sounds I’ve collected from various places. For example, the timer on a heat lamp or the sound of a printer. I like the precision of these rhythmic bits and pieces of the everyday. They inspire me as a drummer — they’re always in my head. Some of them end up in my pieces on stage.

Thanks for the interview! One last question: if you were an underwater animal, which one would you be?

A dolphin. They seem to be having fun.

Alexej Gerassimez was the guest of honour at the press conference for his Beethovenfest concert, organised by the 2025 Student Management team. He also led a workshop for percussion students from Bonn.