Antoine Chessex
Quick Facts
Biography
Antoine Chessex is a Swiss composer, saxophone player and sound artist born in 1980 in Vevey (CH).
His works assume a wide diversity of forms spanning compositions for ensembles, solo performances, sound installations and transdisciplinary projects. Chessex's compositions are characterized by textural density and microtonal tensions often resulting in sound masses addressing the physical dimensions of sound and spaces.
His solo works feature dense layers of sustained pitches reacting with the architecture of the space or massive clouds of amplified sax resulting in intense live actions in total immersion in the sound.
He presents his works worldwide and appeared at numerous international venues and festivals in the United States, Japan, China, Russia and all around Europe.
Recent compositional works include "DUST" for 3 violins and electronics (2010), "Schichten" & "Ritournelle Fulgurante"commissioned by oh ton Ensemble (2013 & 2014), "Metakatharsis" & "Damage is done" commissioned by the Phoenix Ensemble in Basel (2011 & 2015), "Chute" for the Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin 2012, "Plastic Concrete" & "Accumulation" for Apartment House in London (2014 & 2015) as well as numerous electronic music pieces.
Collaborations with musicians Lasse Marhaug, Zbigniew Karkowski, Jérôme Noetinger, Maja Ratkje, Valerio Tricoli, Dave Phillips, the noise band Monno, architect Christian Waldvogel and media artist Ulrike Gabriel (Flow, 2002).
Discography
chamber music:
- Furia played by Werktag (A Tree in A Field, 2015)
- Selected Chamber Music Works (Tochnit-Aleph, 2014)
- Dust for 3 violins, backtape and electronics (Cave12/Metamkine, 2011)
solo works:
- Multiple (Musica Moderna, 2014)
- Errances (Under Platform, 2013)
- Fools (Tourette, 2010)
- Le Point Immobile (Mnoad, 2010)
- Terra Incognita (Absurd, 2009)
- Power, stupidity & ignorance (Petit mignon, 2009)
- Untitled acoustic (Naivsuper, 2008)
- Lost in destruction (Editions Zero, 2008)
- Silences (Tanzprocesz, 2007)
- No (Imvated, 2004)
with Monno:
- Cheval Ouvert (Idiosyncratics, 2013)
- Ghosts (Conspiracy, 2009)
- Error (Conspiracy, 2007)
- Untitled (Soundimplant, 2004)
- Candlelight technology (Subdeviant, 2003)
collaborations:
- Coi Tormenti with Valerio Tricoli (Dilemma, 2010)
- Calcination (Utech, 2009)
- With Dave Phillips (Tochnit aleph compilation, 2005)
- Swiftmachine (Creative sources, 2004)
- Kainkwatett (Schraum, 2003)