Christian Benning Percussion Group
"Birds and a bunch of Flowers"
Christian Benning is planning a varied programme which, in addition to adaptions of works by the anniversaries Johann Strauss (200th birthday) and Richard Strauss (75th anniversary of his death), will take him on a journey into the animal world.
Enjott Schneider: "Myths of the birds"
Arrangement of the Catalan folk song "El cante dels ocells"
(owl-swan-raven-crow among others)
Richard Strauss: Selected songs N.N.
Johann Strauss: "Waltz Danube" in different styles: Dixi, Samba, Bossa Nova, Ragtime, Swing, Blues...
***
Thierry de Mey: Musique de Table
Camille Saint-Saëns: Excerpts of „The Carnival of the Animals“
(chicken-cuckoo-swan etc.)
John Cage: Third Construction
How would Johann Strauss, a master of popular music in his time, have composed the "Waltz Danube" if he had already known the 20th century's musical styles ?
As in Saint-Saëns' humorous piece of music, the Catalan folk and Christmas song "The Song of the Birds" likewise focuses on animals: thirty species of birds, large and small, celebrate the birth of Christ. In addition to the official Catalan anthem, the song is a kind of secret national anthem.
Richard Strauss also dealt with themes such as nature and animals in his song cycles such as the "Maidenflower's" Song Cycle.
This programme is characterized by modern percussion literature in original compositions and works by prestigious composers in exclusive arrangements for the Christian Benning Percussion Group.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9: Scherzo of 2nd movement | Quintet
Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso | Duo
Casey Cangelosi (*1982): Bad Touch | solo
Robert Marino (*1981): 8 on Three & 9 on Two | Duo
Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata op. 27 No. 2 | Quintet
***
Thierry de Mey (*1958): Musique de Table | Quintet
Nebojša Jovan Zivković (*1962): Trio per Uno | Trio
Chick Corea: Spain | Quintet
With the BEAThoven programme, the ensemble explores the question of how Beethoven would have composed if the marimba, vibraphone and drum set had already been invented in his own time.
Through completely new timbres due to the various percussion instruments, through a groove that this unusual line-up literally carries with itself and through the combination of a wide variety of musical styles, the artists succeed in a unique way in making the timelessness of the music audible - a departure into the future, out of tradition.
A combination / mixture of both programmes is possible.
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds I Solo Part A Part B
Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso I Duo
Xenakis: Pleïades I Sextet
Beethoven: Mondscheinsonate op. 27 Nr. 2 I Quintet
Olivier Messiaen: Preludes I Sextet
Xenakis: Okho I Trio
J. S. Bach: Präludium in c-Moll I Sextet
In the repertoire of this artistic endeavour, movements and complete versions of Xenakis' most important compositions for percussion are interwoven with works or arrangements by composers who are also familiar to a wide-ranging audience. As Xenakis spent the majority of his life and work in Paris, Maurice Ravel and his former teacher and patron Olivier Messiaen also play a role alongside J.S. Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as Parisian "city comrades".
Faris Badarni (*1993): Jerusalem | Quintet
Steve Reich (*1936): Mallet Quartet | Quartet
Omar Khairat (*1949): Fatma (aus „The Night of the Arrest of Fatma“) | Quintet
Beethoven: Mondscheinsonate op. 27 Nr. 2 I Quintet
Benning selected three different works by three composers from different eras, traditions and cultures: Ludwig van Beethoven, Omar Khairat and Steve Reich. Three works, written or arranged for percussion ensemble, were linked together with the idea of a coherent symphony.
To complete this intercultural symphony with a fourth movement, the Arab composer Faris Badarni from Israel, who lives in Munich, wrote the piece "Jerusalem", in which he combines various elements of the previous movements and moulds them into a new work.
Christian Benning Percussion Group
Christian Benning
Christian Benning is one of the leading percussionists of a young and innovative generation of drummers in Germany and “sets off with his ensemble a firework of rhythms and sounds” (Süddeutsche Zeitung).
The young multipercussionist was chosen as a junior student at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich with Adel Shalaby at the age of 13 and has won several competitions such as the Marimba-Festiva Competition Nuremberg in 2010. He subsequently completed his studies in the classes of Peter Sadlo and Arnold Riedhammer from 2014 to 2019. In addition, Christian Benning took part in workshops and masterclasses by Martin Grubinger, Evelyn Glennie, Jost Nickel, Jojo Mayer and Peter Sadlo.
After successful performances as member of the Esegesi Percussion Quartet of Simone Rubino at festivals such as Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Heidelberger Frühling, Musikfest Bremen and La Folle Journée de Nantes, Christian Benning founded his own percussion ensemble in 2014. The first concerts in Augsburg and Dachau enthused, whereby "the precision was topped only by their glaring joy on stage" (Augsburger Allgemeine)
Meanwhile, the Christian Benning Percussion Group enraptured audiences in Hamburg, Bremen, München, Graz, Bonn, Coesfeld, Höri Musiktage, Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth, Karlsruhe, Bad Kissingen, Verona Teatro Romano, Festival Les Musicales d ́Orient France, Bukarest, Braila, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem among others.
Further ahead are invitations with the Percussion Group in Paris Theatre de la Ville, Munich Prinzregententheater, Friedrichshafen Graf-Zeppelin-Haus as well as solo performances in Palma de Mallorca and Istanbul.
Felix Kolb
Felix Kolb was born in Nuremberg. After his first musical experience in various youth orchestras, he began to study percussion with Adel Shalaby in Munich 2012 and later with Prof. Raymond Curfs obtaining a bachelor's degree in 2017. In Munich, Felix Kolb gained a lot of experience as a percussionist in the various orchestras. He is currently a member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. Concert tours have taken him throughout Europe, among others, with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski and Daniel Harding. Since 2018/19 Felix Kolb has been a member of the Orchestra Academy of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
Marcel Kentaro Morikawa
Marcel Kentaro Morikawa was born in Cologne and began his drums lessons in 2006 with Robert Schäfer. He attended the Music High School "Liceul de Muzica George Enescu" in Bucharest for one year and was accepted to study with Prof. Carlos Tarcha at the Hochschule für Musik Köln in 2009. In addition, he studied at the National Music University Bucharest with Alexandru Matei. In 2014 he began his studies with Peter Sadlo at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich and completed his studies with Claudio Estay, drummer of the Bavarian State Orchestra, in 2018 with distinction. In the same year, Marcel Kentaro Morikawa won the 2nd Prize of the International Italy Percussion Competition in the category vibraphone. Marcel Kentaro Morikawa regularly plays in the orchestra of the Gärtnerplatz-Theater Munich, the Hofer Symphoniker and the Bavarian State Orchestra.
Patrick Stapleton
Patrick Stapleton (* 1993) has been studying percussion at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich since 2011, first with Adel Shalaby and later in the master class of Peter Sadlo and with Alexej Gerassimez since 2017. In addition to regular appearances as a soloist and in various duo formations, he has been involved in numerous chamber music projects. Patrick Stapleton has already worked together with famous artists such as Steve Reich and participated in two albums of the label Genuin Classics. Since 2018, Patrick Stapleton regularly plays the marimba position in the musical "The Lion King" in Hamburg. Concert tours have taken him through Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Egypt, Oman, Azerbaijan and Thailand. The multiple award winner holds a scholarship of "Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now" since 2015.
Godwin Schmid
Godwin Schmid was born in Landsberg am Lech in 1996. He got his first drum lessons from his father when he was three years old. In 2014 he was awarded with Landsberg‘s Cultural Scholarship. In 2013/14 he attended the Vocational School of Music in Krumbach where he was taught by Stefan Blum. In October 2014 he began his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich with Franz Bach. From 2016 to 2018 he was a substitute of Würzburg Philharmonic He was also able to gain valuable experiences in orchestras such as the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, Munich Symphony Orchestra, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Hof Symphony Orchestra, the Augsburg State Theater and the Munich State Opera. In 2019 he completed his Bachelor‘s degree with Claudio Estay, then began his Master‘s degree with Prof. Raymond Curfs. Since 2020 he is member of the Christian Benning Percussion Group
Season 2022/23
News/Info
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Fürth
The Christian Benning Percusion Group performs in Fürth on 4 May 2024 the programme BEATHOVEN with compositions by Beethoven, Ravel, Cangelosi, Marino, de Mey, Cage, Zivkovic and Corea.
Christian Benning Percussion Group on tour
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs in Werne on 15 February 2024, Koblenz on 17 February and Coesfeld on 18 February the programme BEATHOVEN (Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Ravel, Xenakis, Chick Corea) (15./17.02) and IANNIS XENAKIS 100 (18.02.).
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Höxter
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs in Höxter on 21 July 2023 music by Steve Reich, John Cage, Matthias Schmitt and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Barcelona
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performe in Barcelona, Basilica de la Sagrada Familia on 17 April 2023 a programme of J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Iannis Xenakis and Steve Reich.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Friedrichshafen
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs the programme BEATHOVEN in Friedrichshafen on 22 March 2023.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Paris
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs at Theatre de Ville Paris on 29 January 2023 a programme of Beethoven, Ravel, Cage and Chick Corea.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Berlin at Xenakis anniversary
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs in Berlin on 20 November at Festival Atonal celebrating Iannis Xenakis's 100th anniversary with instruments invented by the composer.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Ahaus
The Christian Benning Percussion Group gives a concert in Ahaus on 23 October 2022 featuring the programme Beathoven with music by Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Ravel, Xenakis, Corea etc.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Bayreuth
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs two concerts at Festival Junger Künstler Bayreuth in Bayreuth on 16 August and in Kloster Speinshart on 17 August featuring music by Beethoven, Ravel, Zivkovic, de Mey, Cage, Marino, Engel and Corea.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Munich
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs an Open Air concert at Munich Brunnenhof on 26 June with music by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Casey Cangelosi, Thierry de Mey, Chick Corea etc.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Hildesheim
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs in Hildesheim at Halle 39 on 11 October music by Xenakis, J.S. Bach, de Mey, Benning, The Beatles, Marino, Beethoven, Engel, Ravel, Cangelosi, Zivkovic, Glentworth, Cage und Corea.
Christian Benning Percussion Group in Munich
The Christian Benning Percussion Group performs an Open air concert in Munich Brunnenhof on 3 October, 11:00 presenting music by Xenakis, J.S. Bach, de Mey, Cage, Beethoven and Zivkovic.