Ge-Suk Yeo - Improvisation/ Free Jazz
" .... Zwei Gäste bescherten der "Zweiten Generation" ein angemessenes Geburtstagsgeschenk: ein rundum gelungenes, spannendes Konzert. Die gebürtige Koreanerin Ge-Suk Yeo studierte in Berlin Operngesang und verband diese Ausbildung mit zeitgenössichen Elementen. Live-elektronisch verfremdete sie ihre Stimme, ließ aus gesungenen Vokalen tiefes Brummen werden, körnte Konsonanten in zischelnde Geräusche auf. Samples unterstützten die fremden Stimmklänge: Wasserplätschern, statisches Rauschen, das Klicken von Steinen. Sehr ausdrucksstark war ihre Performance, mit mechanischen Gesten unterstrichen, die mal witzig, mal streng und rituell anmuten. Ihrer Musik stellt der Schlagzeuger Gino Robair frei wuchernde Geräuschmuster entgegen. Neben allerlei perkussivem Gerät erweiterte er die elektronischen Klänge um das herrlich grobe Knarzen, Fiepsen und Pochen eines Analog-Synthesizers. Zwischen diesen Ebenen von Geräusch und klarem Stimmklang wechselte Irmer, indem er auf der Violine harsche Elektronik-Klänge imitierte oder lyrische Melodien und harmonische Flächen unterlegte. Der lange Applaus der Zuhörer galt wohl dem rundum stimmigen Konzert ebenso wie der Reihe selbst, die die Tradition der improvisierten Musik im Tal mit am Leben hält. [Über Gino Robair (percussion), Christoph Irmer (violin), Ge-Suk (vocals, electronics) in der Galerie Epikur, Wuppertal] "
Westdeutsche Zeitung
" ...Am zweiten Abend nähert sich Ge-Suk Yeo im Rauschen seltener Sender. Die aus Korea stammende Stimmkünstlerin formt in ihrem Soloprogramm die Töne wie ein Bildhauer, von Händen unterstützt, zu einem der schönsten abstrakten Gesänge. Als sei sie von Björk verehrt! Als sei sie Lebemilch mit Sternenklausel!..."
Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten
"...Die gebürtige Koreanerin Ge-Suk Yeo ist Opernsängerin, die sich verstärkt der freien Musik widmet: Sie verwendet ein stark gestisches Repertoire, bringt auch spielerisch arios ausgesungene Passagen ein (womit sie von Ferne an Cathy Berberian erinnert)..."
Weserkurier, Bremen, Germany
"Music In The Foreground in Boston...
Musician/Composer Blaise Siwula, who has worked in the ensembles of Cecil Taylor, Tan Dun, William Parker, and many other fine musicians, is fully commited to the challenges of New Music. I shun comparisons but one can hear the beauty of predecessors in his depth of tone and ease of velocity. Vocalist Ge-Suk Yeo was unique in my experience. This was her first time to the U.S. and the Boston area. Her operatic vibrato stood out and her vocal power was immense. She never opened her mouth completely, but moved the direction of her voice and body with a series of expressive gestures including her hand as a sort of mute or limiter. She was equally comfortable with breath, throat and nose sounds as well as varying staccato's with the drums. At times she would remove her vibrato to blend more closely with the wind instruments matching its slurred glissando phrasing. At other times she would close her mouth leaving the listener with the resonance of her face and head. Vattell Cherry's large bass sound bounced and sang from the low end comfortably into the register of the violin bowing. He was immediately alert to every subtle change of sonic direction within the group. Todd Capp is a remarkable drummer of softness and subtlety within a tradition of great drummers who gradually build a circular temple of sound increasing in small increments over a long stretch.
Eric Zinman, curator of Studio 234, Boston, USA
Instant Expansion
Christoph Irmer - violin, Georg Wissel - saxophone, Ge-Suk Yeo - vocals, electro-acoustics, Phil Morton - accidents & treatments and Adam Webster - cello.
Instant Expansion is a quintet of improvisation musicians: From Liverpool Phil Morton and Adam Webster http://www.frakture.org, from Wuppertal, Germany Christoph Irmer http://www.irch.de, from Cologne,Germany Georg Wissel http://myspace.com and from Hamburg/Seoul Ge-Suk Yeo.
Sori Numgi - extraordinary music from Korea
Je-Chun Park - percussion, Miyeon - piano, Ge-Suk Yeo - soprano, voice.
Sori Numgi - Sound Skipping, this are the three Koreans Je-Chun Park - percussion,
Miyeon - piano and Ge-Suk Yeo - soprano, voice. "Sori Numgi is the second group of pure
Korean free improvised music as appearance in Korean musical history. But already Sori
Numgi got a position of asian avant-garde musical scene. The sound of Sori Numgi is strong
style free music. It is constructed as polyhedron by opera, free jazz, contemporary classic
music and Korean traditional music. This is beautiful sample for a crystallization of western
culture and asian mentality."
Teruto Soejima, jazz critic, February 2004
Ensemble Syzygy
Ge-Suk Yeo - singer, Blaise Siwula - saxophone, Vattel Cherry - double bass, Hans Schüttler - piano
The Ensemble Syzygy is project with musicians from different countries and continents. All musicians participating on this project have very different musical backgrounds however all of them have lots of experiences in improvised music, composing, performance wich together features the most exciting project for contemporary music possible.
[September 2003]: Syzygy is back from the 2003 NamYang Open Air Arts Festival in NamYangju, Korea. Part of the Syzygy team in Korea had been Blaise Siwula (sax, cl, reeds), Vattel Cherry (db), Hans Schüttler (piano, toys, electronics) and Ge-Suk Yeo (soprano, voc). It had been the third festival in NamYang, a village close to Seoul and the first time they included improvised music in their art program - with very positive feedback from the audience, press and some students and professors from art universities in Seoul.
Highlights of the tour had been the 'Free music in D.M.Z' performance with the Korean director Kyun-Dong Yeo as well as a concert series in the Seoho Galery where Ge-Suk Yeo also presented some of here graphical notations and a Session at the Sal bar in downtown Seoul.
[August 2003]: NamYang Open Air Arts Festival Korea 2003
Syzygy is invited to the NamYang Open Air Arts Festival in NamYangju, Korea.
We will be involved in a couple of programs at the festival site - one with a short movie by the Korean director Kyun-Dong Yeo - as well as concerts and workshops.
