By John Owoo
(In Accra – Ghana)
A quartet comprising accordionist Eva Zöllner (Germany), electroacoustic music composer Luong Hue Trinh (Vietnam), vibraphonist Stefan Kohmann (Germany) and flute virtuoso Dela Botri (Ghana), recently charmed an audience at the Goethe-Institut with inspiring compositions.
The concert, which was interspersed with chats with the audience on the collaboration, comprised new pieces for accordion and fixed media electronics that soared through the air like birds in flight preparing to land on tiny tree branches.
Equally thrilling were new versions of chess pieces for accordion and mallet kat with electric counterpoints (John Cage / Steve Reich) alongside a version for mallet kat, fixed media electronics and the atenteben flute, which showcased the beauty and power of cross-cultural collaborations.
Through a series of improvisations, the four musicians appeared to be having fun as they engaged each other in a musical conversation that transcended countries, cultures and music traditions that have existed for hundreds of years.
As a soloist and chamber music player, kohmann has appeared in numerous festivals around the world including Hamburger Musikfest (Germany), Gaudeamus (Holland), PASIC (USA), Fadjir Festival (Iran), Seoul Drum Festival (Korea), Taipeh Percussion Festival (Taiwan), Osterfestspiele Tirol (Austria) and Roaring Hoofs (Mongolia).
Zöllner has performed as a soloist in most European and Latin American countries as well as Asia, Australia, Canada and the United States. She appears in productions ranging from experimental solo performances to concerts with renowned contemporary music ensembles and opera companies in various parts of the world.
Educated at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, Luong has focused on electro-acoustic music and is interested in exploring traditional and experimental elements in music, visuals and scenography while creating artworks for specific sites. Her works have been presented in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and a number of countries in Africa.
An apostle of traditional / contemporary music, Botri has held workshops in a number of universities in several countries and performed to varied audiences in the United States, Cuba, Algeria, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Japan, Denmark, France, Germany, Algeria, Togo and Egypt among others.
