ETERNALLY FROZEN

Eternally Frozen consists of a series of canon based compositions for brass ensemble, percussion and synthesizer by Andrea Belfi. The canon is an ancient compositional technique in which an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts, creating illusionary never-ending musical journeys.

The project will be presented in Berlin on March 26th 2022, at Callie’s, a forward thinking art space where Andrea has been invited as artist-in-residence.

Eternally Frozen is inspired by the evocative image of the Deprong Mori, a mythological bat with the alleged ability to fly through solid matter by bending atoms by it’s natural skill of audio echolocation.The myth suggests that one of these bats had been “eternally frozen” in a wall of solid lead in 1952 by the researcher of the Rockefeller University, Donald R. Griffith. This story is exhibited in a display at the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, an institution renowned for both speculative, fantastical reinforcement of mythology and playful and beguiling distortions of mysterious could-be truths.

Both the canon and the “frozen” Deprong Mori are man-made illusory simulations of eternity. Their attempt is to create mirages, where the insinuation of facts is more meaningful than the reality.

After many years of sonic explorations with percussion, drums, and electronics, Belfi is here projecting himself as a composer through the direction of the ensemble Zinc and Copper in the realization of these canonic works. There are evident echoes of the works of Arthur Russell, Miles Davis, Moondog, William Basinski, and the Italian soundtrack tradition of Ennio Morricone and Egisto Macchi.

The brass ensemble consists of Robin Hayward - Tuba, Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø - Trombone, Elena Kakailogu - French Horn. The three of them have a long list of prestigious collaborations in the experimental music world, including artists and composers such as Eliane Radigue, Ellen Arkbro, Phill Niblock .

Eternally Frozen is funded by Musikfonds.

Special thanks to Museum of Jurassic Technology, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

PRESS

"Thrilling and on-edge right from the off." — The Line Of Best Fit
"An inspiring and beautifully realised exploration." — Wire Magazine
"Electronic swirls that blur the edges." — Electronic Sound Magazine
"A drummer whose work is both peaceful and wired" — Village Voice
“A cult drama from Italy…“ — Top album of 2017, Gilles Peterson, BBC6 Music
"You have no concept of just how much a lone kettle drum can blow your mind" — Top 5 albums of 2017, Mary Anne Hobbs, The Guardian