*250 copies limited edition* "Play" is a set of 100 cards with instructions for ensembles of any size and instrumentation. The individual instructions vary from precise (two contrasting sounds, a very long sound) to vague (something funny, thinking of something you smell), sometimes requiring a high degree of interpretation. The release combines two excellent recordings of the piece: one including the composer himself with a group of Israeli musicians, the other introducing an ensemble around the Paris-based double bass player Félicie Bazelaire. Due to the openness of the score, chance procedures and individual choices made by the musicians, the musical outcomes are obviously quite different. In spite of this, in comparing the two versions, a recognizable character of the piece itself becomes apparent.
Hannes Lingens is a musician and composer of contemporary and experimental music. Most of his work is located in the area where improvisation and composition overlap, often taking the shape of oral instructions, graphic notation and other open forms. Associated with the Berlin scene of experimental music, he has collaborated with artists like Lucio Capece, Johnny Chang, Axel Dörner, Jamie Drouin, Toshimaru Nakamura, John Tilbury and many more.
His music has been released on labels such as Umlaut, Intonema, Insub, Another Timbre and Edition Wandelweiser.