Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory

[DE/NO]

Hendrik Weber, better known as Pantha du Prince, Panthel, or Glühen 4, was born in 1975 in Bad Wildungen, often referred to as the region's "Siberia".

Weber, already a successful composer, producer, and concept artist, published his debut album as Pantha du Prince, Nowhere, in 2002. A few years later his first studio album, Diamond Daze (2004), appeared, followed by a Remix-12" (Butterfly Girl Versions, 2005), as well as new material (Lichten/Walden, 2006). His second studio album as Pantha du Prince was This Bliss (2007), and garnered the artist much critical acclaim.

In 2010 Weber presented his third album, Black Noise, on London's legendary Rough Trade Records. With its digitalized natural sounds and those of crackles and bells, Black Noise is already considered a classic of its genre. The album also won the critics prize at the distinguished Echo German music awards in Berlin in 2011.

As Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, Weber joined forces with Norwegian composer Lars Petter Hagen in developing a modern musical piece in 2010. The Bell Laboratory can be seen as both a musical score and a full orchestra. Elements of Light, a 40-minute symphony for carillon, live percussion and electronic programming, also includes numerous tubular bells, marimba, xylophone, cymbals and other percussive elements. Amongst the carillonists are the carillonist of Oslo rådhus Vegar Sandholt, Martin Horntveth of Jagga Jazzist, Erland Dahlen, Håkon Stene of the Norwegian Academy of Music, and Heming Valebjørg, member of the philharmonic orchestra of Oslo.

The extensive cast and musical intricacy of The Bell Laboratory alludes to the poetic reflection of Elements of Light. The piece’s thematic focus explores the behavior of constituent parts of light, and the way these in turn interact with each other – the spectral shifts and interlockings that occur when a color is added or eliminated from the light spectrum.

The piece’s inaugural presentation was at Oslo’s Øya Festival in August 2012, and a recording of the project is currently in works.

Elements of Light

HAU1, Wed 30.01.2013, 20:00

Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory

Elements of Light

HAU1, Thu 31.01.2013, 20:00

Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory