27.11.25, 20:00, Pianoduo Simplexity & Merel Vercammen, Reichs Piano Phase

At Will to Wander, you will hear each piece twice: first as it was written, then in a new guise. The central piece this evening is Steve Reich's Piano Phase. It is a constant shifting of similar material, divided between two pianos that seem to contradict, support, and complement each other. This is right up the alley of piano duo Simplexity, who want to understand how simplicity and complexity relate to each other. After the original performance, violinist Merel Vercammen will present her interpretation.

In the same vein as Piano Phase is John Adams' Hallelujah Junction, in which seemingly simple material is again divided between the two pianos in such a way that it produces an ‘acoustic version of a digital delay’. It sounds like a flight of starlings looks: like a cloud that keeps changing its mind. 

Merel Vercammen, in turn, explores the artistic possibilities of the electric five-string violin. Inspired by the characteristic repetitive patterns in the piano repertoire of Steve Reich and John Adams, she develops a new soundscape in which the violin transforms into a full-fledged sound orchestra. Piano Phase and Hallelujah Junction are built on layered repetitions and subtle shifts in rhythm and harmony. This structure forms the starting point for Merel’s approach. Within that framework, improvisations arise that develop according to Reich’s and Adams’ logic of gradual transformation, but with their own voice and dynamics. In this context, the electric five-string violin is amplified and expanded with a series of guitar pedals. This technology makes it possible to create a layered, pulsating and richly orchestrated sound field live, on her own.