NEWSLETTER 10/20

This fall, University President Elmar Lampson is particularly looking forward to the start of the semester and - in connection with this - to every event that can take place at our institution, even if nothing is back to normal yet and we are only getting started in installments and incompletely for the foreseeable future.

The last few months have demanded a lot from us. The realization that this will not just be a short, sharp break, but a formative and long phase in the life of the university, is hard - and yet it has its happy aspects: "I am impressed by how the university organism is dealing with this and how it is fighting this crisis with passion and energy. The creative potential to leave the beaten track and constantly reinvent itself is like looking through a magnifying glass. The high level of commitment shown by all members of the HfMT is touching and the technical possibilities that we have learned to use and that have helped us to overcome hardship are fascinating.

Nevertheless, the longing for personal encounters became stronger and stronger, so that every event now feels like a first time - like a new birth."

Elmar Lampson is deeply grateful for the immense support and solidarity of the BWFG under Senator Katharina Fegebank, who will be flying the flag on October 23 at 3.30 pm to ring in the new semester together with us. This opening is also anything but ordinary: classes have been in session since October 5, lectures start on November 2 and the official celebration "slipped in between" in hybrid format with individual participants in the forum and streamed for all the rest, but really available live and afterwards for all interested parties.

With this in mind: Happy New Year!

Even as an undergraduate student in Canada, composer Todd Harrop was fascinated by microtonality and felt inspired to compose melodies with "notes between the notes". After a brief foray into spectral music (based on the overtones of sounds), which did little to convince him, he came across the Bohlen-Pierce scale years after his studies and met Professors Hajdu and Stahnke, who became his mentors and attracted him to the HfMT, where he was able to deepen his research over the last few years by looking at microtonality as a harmonic technique.

As part of his doctorate, Todd Harrop will perform the concert "Lost in Harmonic Space on October 31. The lost in the music refers primarily to the "loss of the octave". Todd himself says of his music: "Expect strange chords and melodies that are nevertheless meant to sound harmonious, as if they were spoken in a foreign language. My musical style is accessible; I don't try to shock anyone with harsh dissonances, but invite listeners to open their ears to new consonances."
No standard scales are used. Instead of the usual twelve pitches per octave, for example, there are eight or nine (instead of seven) pitches in the space of a fifth.

There has been a lively Bohlen-Pierce scene in Hamburg for some years now, which recently released a CD entitled 'beyond the horizon' and takes you into fascinating worlds of sound.

This is already a very big day for the final-year drama students. It is customary for drama schools to present this annual best-off show, to which directors and dramaturges from the German-speaking theater world travel in order to get an impression of the young talent and, ideally, to hire them directly.

Selected monologues, scenes and songs from the final year of study will be shown. With three contributions from each of the eight students, the evening will last just under three hours. The "pearls" are held together by a subtle scenic design (Laura Jakschas) and musical direction (Matthias Stötzel). "It's not boring at all. On the contrary!", says Laura Jakschas. "They show off exactly what they are particularly good at and say 'Look. That's me, that's what I'm good at, that's what I want to play for you'. You learn a lot about the people and that makes it exciting, of course - and the whole thing is of a very high quality and extremely varied, brought to the point at lightning speed, so to speak. It has a great energy."

Fortunately, the St. Pauli Theater is available for this year's auditions on 22 and 23 October, so there is room for more guests in addition to the directors. You are welcome to come!

For five years, photographer Christina Körte has been involved in the production of the university newspaper zwoelf. She has been involved in the creative process from the very beginning. From the very first editorial meeting, she and graphic designer Ulrike Schulze-Renzel work together with the editorial team to find a theme and develop a suitable visual language.

A photo series corresponding to the theme of the issue is created that runs through all the pages of the magazine. Students from the university serve as models. Themes such as movement, dreaming, failure, white*, black and Asia** have been explored in recent years.

"Breaking down the sometimes philosophical and abstract ideas into something tangible is sometimes a challenge," admits Christina with a smile, "but it's also very appealing. When choosing locations, situations, props, etc., she can exchange ideas with her colleagues and enjoys enormous freedom as a result, which is rather unusual in her profession.

Christina's photos speak a strong language, are sometimes sparkling, sometimes intimate, humorous or thoughtful, always very close to the person. "What actually makes a good photo?", we dared to ask her. Of course, it's a combination of many things, but one central aspect is the relationship she builds with the person: "The person has to feel comfortable and trust you. And you have to maintain and guide the connection, even if you're mastering the technique at the same time."

This work can be admired in the recently published zwoelf - the newspaper celebrating the 70th anniversary of the HfMT, which Christina identifies as her personal highlight of recent years.

You can order or read the latest issue from October 8th here.