Stubborn Riffs

Composer, pianist and music essayist, Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer was born in 1963 ( Novi Sad , Vojvodina / ex-Yugoslavia) as a member of Hungarian national minority. Since 1991, he lives in France . Musical Education: Studied piano & double bass, graduated in composition at the Academy Of Arts in Novi Sad under Rudolf Brucci, subsequently studied composition with Louis Andriessen & Diderick Wagenaar at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. He had also a scholarship from the Polish Section of ISCM. With the members of his ensemble studied with Marta and György Kurtàg and by time established a long-term friendship with them. Activities: In 1986 formed his ensemble Tickmayer Formatio in which classical trained musicians was employed as well as new jazz or improvised rock performers. Very soon, the group got an international profile: in different combinations over than thirty musicians collaborated with the group. For four years, Tickmayer was a member of the editorial of New Symposium, a magazine for social questions, art & culture in Novi Sad. In this period, he organized two international festivals for contemporary music & arts. In 1988, he gave lectures in summer course for improvised & composed music in Szombathely (Hungary) and one year later formed a piano duo with the father figure of Hungarian contemporary improvised music György Szabados. In the period of 1990-1997 he composed music and performed it with his Formatio for the Orleans based dance group Jel led by the choreographer Josef Nadj. Since 1994, collaborates frequently with Chris Cutler and co-founded The Science Group. In 1997 participated in the world premiere of Kurtàg's Six Pieces For Trombone & Piano, in Amsterdam . In the summer of 1999 was invited as a resident artist by ART/OMI, New York . In 2003 Tickmayer was invited by Gidon Kremer as a composer in residence on the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival. During this residence several of his pieces were performed and world premiered. Collaborations: Tickmayer has collaborated /or performed /or recorded with classical musicians and ensembles as: Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica, Keller Quartet, Netherlands Blazers Ensemble, De Volharding, David Geringas, Tatiana Vassilieva, Alexei Ogrintchouk, Finghin Collins; as well as with improvisers as: Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Iva Bittova, Peter Kowald, Gyorgy Szabados, Paul Termos, Dresch Mihaly, Grencso Istvan and many others. This double CD-set is the companion to the final book reporting on the activities of Het Apollohuis. The recordings on these CDs give an idea of the music and the sound art presented in concerts at Het Apollohuis in the priod from 1980 through 1997. Out of a total of 500 performances I chose 38, from which exceprts of varying lenght have been included in this anthiology. These have been arranged in chronological order. The diversity of the selected pieces is characteristic of the programme of Het Apollohuis. Only limited number of composers and musicians who performed can be heard in brief fragments o these discs. Consequently a considerable number has been excluded. There simply was no way to include them all (this selection does not imply we value one above the other). The choice of the particular musicians has been my responsability (P: Panhuysen). liner notes: René van Peer sound selection: René Adriaans mastering: Frank Donkersgoed design: Tom Homburg, Marcel d'Anjou (Opera)