iris ter schiphorst

Jens Schubbe

"The colourful mixture of the ensemble requested by Iris ter Schiphorst evokes a very special sound, as one would expect from jazz formations: the piccolo trumpet is joined by the trombone, jazz guitar, violoncello, piano and double drums, whereby the vibraphone with its tonal 'neon light' is given special prominence. The musical editing technique corresponds to that of the film, without slavishly following all the filmic caesuras. Two-dimensional sounds alternate with 'grooving' passages that seem like torn-up tangos; occasionally, self-forgetting, circling melodies emerge, dawning like distant memories: perhaps most hauntingly when we see the androgynous figure standing alone on the street, shortly before she is run over by a car. The initially rapid change of textures gives way to more extensive complexes in the central sections, which develop a remarkable rhythmic and dynamic pull and merge with the film to form a suggestive stream of images and sound."

Berliner Zeitung, Mathias Nöther, 11.01.2010

"...Iris ter Schiphorst proved that it is possible to find a creative middle way between the poles of "Mickey Mousing" and the idiosyncratic composition in the only premiere of the evening, the film music to "Andalusian Dog" (1929) by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. Schiphorst followed less the movements than the inner, almost psychoanalytical course of this film. Rhythmic elements, often running over long stretches, summarised the erratic sequences; this created a high narrative added value - whereby Schiphorst also reflected the musical world of this pioneering period in film history."