Membran: Piano & Vocal Score

Membran demands genuine artistic risk-taking from both singers and pianists. The use of tubes running from performers' mouths into the piano's body transforms the instrument itself into a resonating chamber for the voice, creating a physical intimacy and sonic texture that cannot be achieved through conventional lieder performance. Programming this work signals to your audience that you're serious about contemporary music and willing to stage something genuinely unforgettable.

Intimate and unsettling. The haunting resonance of a voice traveling through tubing into a piano's body creates an almost spectral quality, neither fully singing nor fully instrumental. The revelation embedded in the German folksong (that both performers are already dead) lingers beneath the surface of the entire piece, transforming what begins as a curious sonic experiment into something profoundly melancholic.

Adventurous vocal duos and contemporary music ensembles ready to push beyond standard recital conventions. This work suits singers and pianists with performance experience and the flexibility to engage with conceptual, physical staging demands. It appeals to presenters and venues committed to experimental music and boundary-crossing artistic collaboration.

• Experiment extensively with microphone placement and amplification during rehearsals. The resonance created by singing through the tube into the piano's body may require adjustment depending on your hall's acoustics and the piano's construction.
• Coordinate breathing and phrasing carefully between the vocalist and pianist. The spiral hoses create a physical connection that demands synchronized musicality; rehearse passages where both performers sing the German folksong to ensure clarity and emotional directness.
• Test the structural setup well in advance. The positioning of the vocalist beneath the piano's body and the management of two spiral hoses requires attention to comfort, safety, and sightlines for both performers.
• Treat the German children's folksong as the emotional anchor of the piece. Its darkening narrative (the revelation that both performers have died) should inform interpretation and dynamics throughout.

Program Membran as a centerpiece of a contemporary music concert or as the culmination of a recital exploring unconventional approaches to the lied tradition. Its theatrical staging and philosophical weight make it a conversation starter that justifies an entire evening or festival slot devoted to experimental vocal music. Consider pairing it with other works by Bauckholt or by composers similarly invested in reimagining performer interaction.

• Interpreting contemporary vocal notation and unconventional performance instructions
• Physical coordination and synchronization between vocalists and pianists in non-standard configurations
• Understanding German vocal literature through the lens of a traditional folksong recontextualized in a modern framework
• Risk-taking and artistic vulnerability in experimental music performance