Synesthetic Octet: Exploring the Colorful Sounds of Jazz, Hip-Hop, and More

2023-08-25 21:03:00

25. August 2023, 23:03

The history of the Viennese ensemble Synesthetic Octet around clarinettist and composer Vincent Pongrácz begins in 2013 with a series of concerts in the Viennese jazz club Porgy & Bess; the line-up hasn’t changed to this day. In addition to Pongrácz, Doris Nicoletti, flute, Clemens Salesny, soprano saxophone and bass clarinet, Richard Köster, trumpet, Peter Rom, guitar, Manu Mayr, electric bass and Lukas König, drums can be heard. The band members come from different genres such as contemporary classical music, jazz and hip-hop; together with the original compositions of Vincent Pongrácz, this musical variety forms a sound firework. Jazz meets hip-hop and dubstep grooves and thus right into the heart of young international jazz musicians from London to Chicago.
The Octet has presented three CDs: “Restlos” (2014), “In The Meanwhile Shoot Me a Movie” (2017) and “UYA” (2021). The albums express Pongracz’s basic “synaesthetic” approach to music: it should / wants to also convey color and / or thoughtful text, stories and other sensory impressions. According to the synaesthetic principle: “Hear with your eyes”.

In fact, there are people who were born with the ability to hear anything that moves in front of their eyes. The sounds they hear are created in the brain. Researchers refer to this ability to perceive experiences with several senses at the same time as “synesthesia” and so the band’s name also goes back to the French composer and organist Olivier Messiaen, who was himself a synesthete.
On March 26th, Synesthetic Octet presented pieces from the already presented albums and some new ones under the title “plehak” in the Berio-Saal of the Wiener Konzerthaus as part of the cycle You(th). The highlights of the evening are brought back in front of the curtain in today’s time tone!