music
Leading figures in experimental music over the last thirty years, Oren Ambarchi and Will Guthrie have rekindled one of the genre’s most fruitful partnerships. They met in Melbourne in the 1990s and quickly formed what they describe as a society of mutual admiration. Since then, their paths have crossed in various contexts and projects. Guthrie recently participated in Ambarchi’s acclaimed album Hubris (2016), released by Editions Mego, while Ambarachi released Guthrie’s impressive People Pleaser (2017) through his label, Black Truffle. In 2019, they released Knotting together, an impressive album and an essential portrait of two musicians who avoid any repetition.
An Australian living in France, Will Guthrie is renowned for his experimentation with drums, percussion, and electronics. He leads the hybrid percussion group Ensemble Nist-Nah and has released over 50 albums as a solo artist or in collaboration with names such as Sarah Hennies, Mark Fell, Roscoe Mitchell, and Keith Rowe.
Also Australian, Oren Ambarchi is one of the most acclaimed guitarists in avant-garde music, situating himself between electronic, improvisation, minimalist music, and rock. He applies extended techniques on the guitar and incorporates other instruments to create fragile textures that coexist with intense bass tones. His numerous collaborations include works with Fennesz, Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke, John Zorn, and Merzbow.
Thriving on the interaction between the harmonics of Oren Ambarchi’s guitar and the metronomic and accurate pulse of Guthrie’s drums, the duo creates mesmerizing moments of frequencies, textures, and rhythms. Their performances move naturally between psychedelic jams from the 1970s, doom metal rituals, and the precision of acoustic music. Combining the vitality of improvisation with sophisticated compositional structures, a concert by these two is always unique and unpredictable.
on the morning before the concert, the Braga Media Arts Educational Service is promoting a workshop with the two artists.
support portuguese republic – culture, youth and sports / general direction of the arts. rtcp – network of portuguese theaters and cinemas.
