9 Beet Stretch is Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th symphony stretched to 24 hours, with no pitch distortions. 9 Beet Stretch was made at Notam, Oslo, and is indebted to Anders Vinjar, Kjetil Matheussen and Bjarne Kvinnsland at Notam, who made this work possible, and to Bill Schottstaedt who made both the Snd or the Common Lisp Music software which made this execution work so incredibly well, Jeff Hunt at Table of the Elements for making the first concerts possible (and many more later). My sincere gratitude also to Harold Schellinx and Park4DTV who ran the stream and app of 9 Beet Stretch for almost 10 years, and to Fabian who also ran the stream for years.
The source recording for this version on stream is a Naxos recording conducted by Béla Drahos with the Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia and Chorus (Naxos 8.553478). Sincere thanks to Naxos USA!
Courtesy of Naxos of America. All rights reserved. © 1996.
Thanks also to all the enthusiasm shown to 9 Beet Stretch. That has really brought the work around and made 9 Beet Stretch into the event it is.
Any requests or comments are most welcome! Email me.
Recent full 24-hours concerts:
Selected earlier full 24-hours concerts:
- • Leif Inge: Anser Bitternes Wiþ Pyur Byuti, Galleri Sagene Kunstsmie, Oslo (september 2024).
- • SoSSAS2020 – Symposium of Spatial Sound Arts Seoul, Platform-L Contemporary Art Center, Seoul. Curated by Pyoungryang Ko (december 2020).
- • Festival Beethoven250, L'Auditori de Barcelona, Barcelona. Curated by Santi Barguño (january 2020).
- • Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf. Curated by Ralf Brög (may 2019).
- • Seoul National University, College of Music, Seoul. Curated by Per Magnus Lindborg (october 2018).
- • Brainwaves: The Future is Fluid, The Rubin Museum of Art, New York. Curated by David Eagleman + Tim McHenry (february 2018).
- • Karajan / FH Salzburg Classical Music Hack Day, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Salzburg. Curated by Matthias Röder (april 2017).
- • RISK – Rimi / Imir SceneKunst, Stavanger. Curated by Rickard Borgström (february 2016)
- • Tempo! Tempo! Tempo! / Zetland Live, Gruppe 38, Aarhus. Curated by Zetland (november 2015).
- • Tempo! Tempo! Tempo! / Zetland Live, The Rabbit Hole, København. Curated by Zetland (november 2015).
- • Maerz Musik, Schaltzentrale, Kraftwerk, Berlin. Curated by Berno Odo Polzer (march 2015).
- • March Music Moderne IV, Milepost 5, Portland. Curated by Bob Priest / Independent Artists of Milepost 5 (march 2014).
- • Naisa Radio / Nuit Blanche, Old City Hall, Toronto. Curated by Christina Ritchie + Darren Copeland / NAISA – New Adventures in Sound Art (september 2012).
- • Brückenmusik 18, Deutzer Brücke, Köln. Curated by Hans W. Koch + Jens Brand (july 2012)
- • AV Festival 12, Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. Curated by Rebecca Shatwell (march 2012)
- • Wats: On? 2011 – The Jill Watson Festival Across the Arts, CFA Great Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. Curated by Spike Wolff + Pablo Garcia (march 2011)
- • Sense of Art: Sound Art, 18 Rabbit Gallery, Fort Lauderdale. Curated by Leah Brown (february 2011)
- • Impakt Festival 2009, Werfkelder, Utrecht. Curated by Stoffel Debuysere (october 2009)
- • HuskonsePt 2009 / Forskningsdagene 2009, Music Conservatory of Tromsø Tromsø Curated by Geir Davidsen (september 2009)
- • HuskonsePt 08 / Forskningsdagene 2008, Music Conservatory of Tromsø Tromsø Curated by Geir Davidsen (september 2008)
- • OCMA – Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach. Curated by Karen Moss + Dean Corey (may 2008)
- • Dialoge, Mozart Geburtshaus, Salzburg. Curated by Berno Odo Polzer + Stephan Pauly (december 2007)
- • Art.xxXtenxion, SimpliPrivacy, Second Life. Curated by Pomodoro Bolzano (september 2007)
- • Art.xxXtenxion, Städtische Galerie im Leeren Beutel, Regensburg. Curated by Pomodoro Bolzano (september 2007)
- • John Baldessari: Music, Bonner Kunstverein, Bonn. Curated by Christina Vegh (june 2007)
- • Black Light Radio, Owasso. Curated by Gene Savage. Radio. (may 2007).
- • Performatik 3, Kaaitheaterstudio's, Brussel. Curated by Berno Odo Polzer (february 2007)
- • Copernicum – Table of the Elements Festival no. 5, at The Independents, Issue Project Room, New York. Curated by Regina Greene + Suzanne Fiol (january 2007)
- • Wien Modern 2006, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wien Modern Lounge, Wien. Curated by Berno Odo Polzer (november 2006)
- • Bohrium – Table of the Elements Festival no. 4, Eyedrum, Atlanta. Curated by Jeff Hunt (september 2006)
- • BizArt Art Center, Shanghai. Curated by Davide Quadrio + Xu Zhen (april 2006)
- • Dubnium – Table of the Elements Festival no. 3, at SXSW 2006 – South by SouthWest Festival, Central Presbyterian Church, Austin. Curated by Jeff Hunt (march 2006)
- • Rom for Kunst og Arkitektur, Oslo. Curated by Henrik der Minassian (october 2005)
- • Borealis05 – Bergen Contemporary Music Festival, in the 11th century Bergen Cathedral. Curated by Nicholas Møllerhaug (march 2005)
- • Diapason Gallery, New York. Curated by Michael J. Schumacher (october 2004)
- • Zeke's Gallery, Montreal. Curated by Chris Hand (october 2004)
- • Ultima – Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Norsk Form, Oslo. Curated by Bjarne Kvinnsland / Notam (october 2004)
- • FreeRadioSAIC – Experimental Radio from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Curated by Scott Lockard (september 2004).
- • 964 Natoma, San Francisco. Curated by Aaron Ximm (april 2004)
- • Kupfer Ironworks, Madison. Curated by Jeff Hunt / Table of the Elements + John Martens / Kupfer Ironworks (april 2004)
- • Opsound, New York. Curated by Sal Randolph / Opsound. Webstream. (april 2004).
All full 24-hours concerts:
9 Beet Stretch has been presented as installation, ½ concerts, or otherwise segmented concerts at various venues, like at Center for the Arts, Wesleyan University, Middletown; Alte Oper, Frankfurt; Echoraum, Wien; Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, København; [ars]numerica, Montbéliard; Jetlag No. 4, Pact Zollverein, Essen; Norwegian Sculpture Biennal 2006, Vigelandsmuseet, Oslo; Brakstad Konsept, Oslo.
9 Beet Stretch Last 40' is an excerpt, as its title say, with the last 40 minutes of 9 Beet Stretch. I have at an occasion also titled this The Final Finale
Every concert of 9 Beet Stretch is very much a coopartion with venue and curator. 9 Beet Stretch has been installed in a wide range of spaces, from bedroom to huge industrial halls like the Kupfer Ironworks, and churches as the 11th century Bergen Cathedral. An earlier installation at Brakstad Konsept took place in the gallery's bedroom (thus the title then; «Bedchambermusic»), and 9 Beet Stretch had its perfect marriage between work and venue at 964 Natoma – which was known for its listening space filled with madrasses and beansacks. In any space, good contemplation furniture makes a difference, and a venue would be greatly benefited by having a split between a dedicated listening space and a lounge of sorts where people can talk and socialize.
Joshua Dittrich's book Geosonics has a dedicated chapter about 9 Beet Stretch, and listening in relation to planet earth. 2024.
9 Beet Stretch 2.0: Meta Tones is a release where 12 artists where given a 2 hours segment each of 9 Beet Stretch to work on. Mauricio Reyes initiated and curated 9 Beet Stretch 2.0, and the 12 contributing artists are CM von Hausswolff, Mykel Boyd, Jac Beloeil, Frans de Waard, Oleg Puzan, Michael Esposito, Marc Behrens, Adi Newton, Manuel Rocha Iturbide, John Duncan, Mauricio Reyes and Leif Inge. The full 24 hour 9 Beet Stretch 2.0 was released in 2021 on 32GB UDP / USB Chip by Telekinett (Tele 008) and also in boxed sets including the original 9 Beet Stretch in full. 2021.
Alexander Rehding's book about Beethovens's Symphony No. 9 is an incredible thoroughly dive into Beethovens 9th and in all its historical and musical aspects, and I am truly honored that 9 Beet Stretch plays an important role in this book. 2018.
A Field Guide To Table Of The Elements (CD), a release from the people who have been the strongest supporters for 9 Beet Stretch ever, the record label Table of the Elements. This CD includes the 9 Beet Stretch Last 40', the last 40 minutes of 9 Beet Stretch, as well as Aaron Ximm's Idea of Ninth. 2006.
RadioLab aired Aaron Ximm's intensely beautiful Idea of Ninth, a collage of reactions from audience at the concert of 9 Beet Stretch at 964 Natoma, San Francisco in 2004. Listen to RadioLab's episode on Time. 2004.
Here is a selection of the response and feedback 9 Beet Stretch has received from people and press. I am trying to keep the links updated and functional at the best of my ability, but some links will certainly turn out to be defunct:
English:
Deutch:
- • Jürg-Peter Lienhard «Gummi-Beethoven», Webjournal.ch
Skandinavisk:
- • Les Erlend Hammers anmeldelse, «Evigheten og En Dag» på Kunstkritikk.no
- • Art Council Norway
- • OCA, Office for Contemporary Art Norway
- • Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canada
- • Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond
- • Naxos USA
Score:
9 Beet Stretch
A recording of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th symphony is to be stretched to 1 day – 24 hours – with no pitch distortion.
For concerts or installation, use either supplied material or augment any full length digital recording of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. As the length of the source recordings varies, so will the ratio of the augmentation vary to reach the full 24 hours length. With a partial performance, the performed part must be augmented with the same ratio as would the whole recording.
There is a version for 9 Beet Stretch for each recording available of Beethovens 9th symphony.
If there for any reason is hard to obtain a copy of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, please use Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem.
Some Techs and General Information
The early files was made with Snd (pronounce it «sound») in 2002. In 2004 a remake was done using Common Lisp Music, then preparing for the starting and still ongoing concert series. Both Snd and CLM is made by Bill Schottstaedt.
Granulation divides the sound into short enveloped grains and reproduces them in high densities ranging from several hundred to several thousand grains per second. Slicing the input file into short pieces, then overlapping these slices to lengthen (or shorten) the result allows a change in the speed at which things happen in a recorded sound without changing the pitches.
The ratio of augmentation reach 24 hour will vary depending on which source recording used. The sources I have seen range from 64' to 78', giving a ratio somewhere in the range of 19 - 23 times.
Some relevant links of importance for the development of 9 Beet Stretch.
Supported by
– Updated november 2024