Hennix I – Pre-opening

“The Electric Harpsichord” of Catherine Christer Hennix has been named “the obscure masterpiece of early American minimalism.” Its creator is the Swedish sound-artist, poet, philosopher, mathematician and visual artist Catherine Christer Hennix. Performed only a few times in 1976, the piece led the life of a legend until 2010. After more than 40 years, MaerzMusik is delighted to present a new live realization of this stunning aural experience.

“The Electric Harpsichord,” recalls Henry Flynt, “was something other than music. It was a new genre, or chapter, in ‘psychology’ called a hallucinatory or illuminatory sound environment… The listener’s attention is monopolized; the physical vibration is physically felt; the uniformity of texture produces a sense that time is suspended.”

The performance marks the pre-opening of MaerzMusik 2017 as well as the inauguration of “Kalam-i-Nur”, a six-day project space dedicated to Hennix’ immersive sonic practice. It is an extension of MaerzMusik’s closing event “The Long Now.