duo Germaine Sijstermans (bass clarinet) and Marcus Kaiser (cello)

The duo Germaine Sijstermans (bass clarinet) and Marcus Kaiser (cello) perform Sijstermans's works Juglans (bass clarinet and cello) and Pilosella (solo clarinet). Hummed and played melodies in Pilosella (2024) flow in and out of each other, simultaneously fleeting and tangible. Their abstract character contrasts with the highly concentrated, human embodiment required to make them sound, blend, and transform. In Juglans (2022), the musicians move in a dialogue between two materials: melodies that emerge in various ways across the full registers of the bass clarinet and cello, and long chordal sounds. Visitors have the option to participate in the piece through a simple action.

Sijstermans and Kaiser have been working together as a duo since 2020, approaching their music from their backgrounds as musicians, composers, and visual artists. They compose open scores in which timbre and texture are central. These are musical Erscheinungsräume, spaces of appearance, where they are free to act and perceive as individuals in interaction with each other, their surroundings, sounds, and melodies. Each performance is unique, with the music unfolding anew each time like a living ecosystem, leaving space for the beauty of chance and subtle nuances.

Their instrumentation offers the duo a broad and flexible palette of timbres, dynamics, expression, and extended techniques. At the same time, the instruments each have their unique character, leading to a fascinating interplay of equal, complementary, and contrasting playing.

The duo has already performed at various stages and festivals, including Default The Hague, Opening Festival Trier, Heim.art Lagerhaussommer, Amsterdam Wandelweiser Festival, Gr’Ambacht, and Musica Sacra Festival.

www.germainesijstermans.com - www.marcus-kaiser.net - www.opernfraktal.de