CD digisleeve 4 pagine

Mia Zabelka _ violino _ voce _ composizioni

Registrazioni dal vivo di alcuni grandi concerti di questa incredibile violinista, improvvisatrice e compositrice austriaca. Tutti i brani sono stati mixati e masterizzati da Lasse Marhaug. La traccia 1 è stata registrata dal vivo da Saint Austral Sound, il 12 febbraio 2019 all'Horse Improv Music Club, Iklectik, Londra (GB). La traccia 2 è stata registrata dal vivo da Sylvain Leconte / Radio France Musique, il 16 marzo 2019 al PiedNu Festival, Le Havre (FR). La traccia 3 è stata registrata dal vivo da Herbert Lacina, il 9 novembre 2018 al Wien Modern Festival, Café Korb, Vienna (AT). La traccia 4 è stata registrata dal vivo da Lasse Marhaug, il 24 agosto 2019 a Nonfigurativ Musikk, Tønsberg (NO).

Per maggiori informazioni:
https://www.miazabelka.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Zabelka

"(...) Violinista e compositrice di gran talento e raziocinio musicali, Mia Zabelka effettua con “Myasmo” altri passi in avanti nella prassi della solo performance. Quattro tracce dal vivo (estratte da altrettanti concerti europei) ben legate ai presupposti e dettami dell’automatic playing, la peculiare concezione teorico-pratica che la musicista austriaca ha brevettato e poi integrato nel suo ramificato percorso artistico, associato anche a nomi e progetti quali Lydia Lunch, John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Elliott Sharp, Trio Blurb, Electric Indigo, Phill Niblock, Maggie Nicols, Alvin Curran e David Moss.
Rinunciando agli artifizi sia digitali sia elettrici impiegati in prove precedenti (il seminale “M” del 2011 e il brillante “Cellular Resonance” del 2017), Zabelka sollecita in “Myasmo” le infinite potenzialità integralmente acustiche del proprio strumento, intrecciando le sue corde con quelle di una vocalità acrobatica, sperimentalmente ispirata ai picchi e alle forzature di una Maggie Nicols o di una Diamanda Galas.
Sebbene l’automatic playing di cui si diceva sopra privilegi qui il solo aspetto organico (il reale) rispetto a quello sintetico (il virtuale), la libera improvvisazione, che sospinge e irrora ognuna delle quattro esecuzioni, resta pur sempre il prodotto di un’efficace sinergia tra spazio, gesto tecnico e corporeo. Interfaccia tra tutti questi elementi, basilari per Zabelka nel processo della creazione musicale spontanea e istantanea, è ovviamente il violino, adoperato e scandagliato oltre ogni limite.
Pur avendo con l’opera pionieristica di Carlos Zingaro palesi affinità e molti punti di contatto, i monologhi di Zabelka sembrano spesso imboccare strade più impervie nonché fisicamente impegnative. Ne sono la riprova i numerosi intermezzi in cui astratta atonalità e onomatopeica vocalità si fondono dando luogo a “call and response” d’isterica concitazione oppure a fantasiose elucubrazioni intessute su variazioni timbriche e armoniche generate da un uso dell’archetto, del pizzicato e del vibrato di foggia colta e anarchica al tempo stesso. Disco non facile ma ottimo punto di partenza per chi ancora non ha familiarità con il personaggio e desideri scoprirne a ritroso l’affascinante cammino artistico." Olindo Fortino, Sound Contest, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka è una violinista, compositrice ed improvvisatrice austriaca, a cui molta stampa specializzata ha dato credito per via di alcune nuove definizioni: Zabelka ha parlato di “automatic playing” per indicare processi dell’improvvisazione di tipo organico, che sfruttano tutte le possibilità offerte dalle tecniche e dalle strutture (una sorta di improvvisazione totale che prende in considerazione capacità del musicista, impianti che usa e metodi di qualsiasi provenienza); lo scopo è ottenere l’equivalente di un discorso, considerando il corpo come un conduttore dell’espressione, quindi anche attraverso una gestualità pronunciata. Molto interessante è anche il concetto di “cellular resonance“, che ha curato tramite il violino elettrificato e l’elettronica. La Zabelka è una studiosa della materia, mentalmente molto vicina alla Oliveros o a Niblock da una parte e a Kowald dall’altra.
Myasmo, suo ultimo cd per Setola, la cattura in quattro esibizioni europee tra il 2018 e il 2019, dove si tenta di offrire una prospettiva della propria musica in solo violino acustico: ciò che si percepisce benissimo è che la Zabelka fornisce una personale forma di arte, apparentemente povera, costruita su una relazione fortissima del fraseggio, che deve ricomporre la dinamica del “discorso” umano; ci sono i suoni del violino che catturano la vivacità e l’esuberanza di una dissertazione, la vocalità scomposta e scenica che interpreta e rafforza le specificità del panegirico, c’è lo spazio circostante a cui si tenta di dare un valore secondo le possibilità conosciute nell’improvvisazione libera. Ogni città delle 4 in cui l’austriaca si è esibita (London, Le Havre, Vienna, Tonsberg), fa parte di un puzzle che si compone per ottenere un risultato complessivo: completamenti di tecniche e visuali che ribadiscono un concetto fondamentale e paradossalmente anacronistico in questo momento storico, ossia quello della promozione delle libertà creative come strumento indispensabile di continuazione dei percorsi della musica e di un linguaggio simbolico della vita, attempata o aggressiva che sia. Legno intarsiato, scavi della materia vivente." Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali, 2020.

"(...) Austrian artist Mia Zabelka works as a violinist, improviser and composer. With a background in classical music from an early age, she developed interests in experimental and improvised music, leading up to very different musical practices. Overviewing her collaborations it is remarkable how diverse they are. She did duo work with Zahra Mani, Conny Zenk and Nicola L.Hein. In trio-format, she worked with Maggie Nicols and John Russell as Trio Blurb and very recent in a collaboration with James Plotkin and Benjamin Finger. Her collaborations don’t give the feeling she works within a limited and obvious circle of musicians. I suppose she is an artist who very much on her own decides what to do, with whom to work, etc. Offered here are four live improvisations, recorded during concerts in London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg in 2018-2019. Four solo live recordings (2018-2019) of concerts in London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg. The first improvisation starts very pronounced and develops narratively as if she is telling a story. This phase dissolves in a playful episode starts that has her playing and non-verbal singing simultaneously. Followed by a more reflective section that grows in power and dynamics. Also, the second improvisation starts with strong solo, before it is followed by a second phase supplemented again with vocals. During this section, she creates a fascinating slightly distorted sound ending up in a fantastic finale of noisy and aggressive playing. On the edge! All four improvisations suggest she loosely works from a certain framework. First two improvisations, for example, have very traceable influences of classical music in the opening sections. In all improvisations, the second part is the most dynamic and powerful one. Zabelka proves once more to be a very expressive and self-conscious performer. She likes to keep things a bit rough but is also technically very skilled. So her improvisations have much to offer, often reaching strongly vibrating and glowing moments. All her ideas and skills are in function of a strong focus and sense of direction. A very solid and convincing work!" Dolf Mulder, Vital Weekly, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka is an Austrian contemporary violinist, improviser, and composer of Czech, Jewish and French familiar background. Comprehensively educated in classical music from early age on she opened up the traditional understanding of the violin as solo and ensemble instrument towards improvisation, experimental music, and sound art.
Mia just released her solo album ‘Myasmo’ with four long improvised pieces, recorded in four different cities. Each piece is titled after the city it was recorded in. It’s a pure solo recording with only Mia’s violin and (wordless) vocals.
Fifty minutes of solo "out of the box" violin is not the kind of album you play at a candlelight dinner! That being said, 'Myismo' is nevertheless fascinating stuff by a creative artist that turns abstract improvisations into intriguing auditive stories with passages that swing from the poetic to the bizarre, from sweetness to harshness, from thoughtfulness to ecstasy. But it never gets chaotic in a directionless way. There’s always a purpose, always a lead that fits everything together. It’s the kind of record that becomes more and more like “easy to listen to” with every spin. Music to really get into and to go along with the journey. ‘Myasmo’ is released on the Setola Di Maiale label in Italy." Geert Ryssen, Full Circle Music, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka is an Austrian violinist (worth mentioning her truly international background - French, Jewish, Czech) with multiple releases and multiple universes that she is travelling through.
Classically trained in violin both solo and and in ensemble, she explores possibility of her instrument both in acoustic and electronic context - sonorous, more melodic, and elsewhere.
MYASMO, her new album released as a cd and download brings to our attention four places and four sets she has been playing - London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg. Four different places and four different sets that are connected through acoustic vibe and her vocal improvisations.
Quite dynamic if not frenetic - improvised sets laid out in fully improvised manner but full of discipline and tension.
Mastered by invaluable Lasse Marhaug this fine cd is a nice introduction to Mia's musical world - but only partly - it's definitely an evidence of her surehand skills and mastery of violin. It shows how much you can get out of the instrument and create a lot of emotive themes through improvisation.
Highly recommended taster to her work." Felthat, 2020.

"(...) Although her first album was released in 1987, Austrian violinist and vocalist Mia Zabelka has not released many recordings, Myasmo being the twenty-sixth. Despite impressive albums by groupings such as Trio Blurb, those featuring Zabelka solo stand out; so it is a pleasure to report that Myasmo is the latest addition to that select collection. For Zabelka herself it is the development of her solo album Monday Sessions (Creative Sources, 2015). Whereas that album was recorded on four Mondays in January and February 2015, at Klanghaus Untergreith, the international centre for sound art founded by Zabelka and co-director Zahra Mani in 2008, Myasmo features four tracks recorded live at gigs between November 2018 and August 2019, each in a different European location—London, Le Havre, Vienna, and Tønsberg. The tracks vary in length from eight-and-a-half minutes to eighteen-and-a-half.
Although Zabelka is credited with "compositions," she is actually a free improviser, one who describes what she does as "automatic playing"; she elaborates on that by saying, "The gestures and phrasing which are intrinsically ever-present when playing the instrument are inflated, exaggerated, transformed, de-constructed, and I succeed in finding new musical formulations through this, reaching beyond most stereotypes and clichés." The last part of that quote highlights an important difference between Zabelka and some classically-trained improvisers who can too easily fall into well-trodden pathways. By comparison, Zabelka's playing is fluid and fluent, flowing easily without any awkward pauses or jump cuts, sounding as natural as breathing. Yes, there are changes of mood but these are integrated rather than catching the listener unawares. So, one instant Zabelka can be conjuring up a low-key, mournful mood, the next soaring like a bird on the wing, carefree. Zabelka again: "Various musical genres that interest me, from classical music to free improvisation and sound art, noise, drone, ambient, punk, jazz to heavy metal, are filtered by me, through my body." Again, she walks it as she talks it, with her playing feeling eclectic and varied, but always personal to her. Free improvisation has often been referred to as spontaneous composition; in Zabelka's hands, it undoubtedly is.
The same is as true of Zabelka's vocals as of her violin playing. Being a member of Trio Blurb and, hence, having gigged and recorded with improvising vocalist Maggie Nicols, has undoubtedly affected Zabelka, as it would anyone. But, let us not forget that Zabelka has also recorded with Lydia Lunch, also a strong stylist. Nonetheless, the violinist remains her own person, not a copyist, able to go where her own musical instincts take her. In her case, the most remarkable feature of her music is that she can improvise on violin and voice simultaneously, being able to sound like two distinct individuals interacting and reacting to one another. Impressive.
In a nutshell, Myasmo is recommended to anyone with a penchant for improv, particularly on violin or voice. Those who have yet to hear Zabelka can confidently start here, as this may prove to be her best album to date." John Eyles, All About Jazz, 2020.

"(...) Myasmo is also part of ‘Johannes Rosenberg’s list of Recommended String Improvisations Recordings’, on Orynx-Improv and Sound. Johannes Rosenberg (Jon Rose) was a legendary violinist, visionary composer and freak-out athlete ahead of his time.

"(...) Vital Signs. Latest record from Mia Zabelka is Myasmo (SETOLA DI MAIALE SM4100), a “travelogue” record showcasing four of her live performances and improvisations from around Europe in 2018 and 2019.
This talented Austrian violinist made a strong first impression here with her M solo CD for Monotype Records which we noted in 2012, and since then there’s been a succession of strong collaborations and unusual projects, all of them good, but the “purist” sentiment which we sometimes indulge craves the solo material where a performer stands or falls on strength of a single there-and-then event. None of the electric violin on these four cuts which I think are mostly acoustic, but there are plenty instances where her voice comes into play, and an integrated musical statement appears right there in the room. On ‘London’, for instance, it’s that odd talk-in-tongues mode of non-lingual gibberish and guttural emissions, combined with passages of musical astringency that grow increasingly agitated and anxious, just the way we like it. On ‘Le Havre’ – every piece is named after location of performing venue – here’s a reminder of how “maximal” this player can be, at a time when every improviser and their brother is determined to follow the trend towards minimalism and reduced playing. These Havre sweeps are full of juice and melody, harmonics, and occasional biting tones – in fine, all the things that violin players ought to be doing in an ideal world. Zabelka fears not melody here. When strings need a break, once again the tongue-twitching mouth, now sighing and groaning, is brought into play.
‘Vienna’ might be the point to highlight Zabelka’s take on “extended technique”, except that she has her own unique slant on this contentious issue. Where many “extendo” improvisers end up disguising or changing the natural sound of their instrument, she delivers something more like an enhancement, an improvement. Certain lively segments are evidence of a very active right arm, perhaps even entire body; can’t help seeing an image of wiry frame twitching and convulsing as if electrified, but with a non-lethal dose of 115 volts. Further unusual “talkative” melodies and lines of enquiry on ‘Tonsberg’, incidentally captured by Lasse “I Am Everywhere” Marhaug at this Norway venue. ‘Tonsberg’ comes in at a lengthy 18:22 and one of its more outré features is the tribal uluating that bleats into view during the first 3-5 mins. Here also, note how the “maximal” mode is toned down somewhat when at one point she chooses to exhibit some extreme dynamics in the flow of the piece, yawning gaps of silence in between very odd plucks and scrapes. This one also contains some of her most frantic squealing and sputtering on the whole CD, verging on wild acoustic noise.
At a time when we often feel a bit short-changed by miserly or ungenerous musicians, who seem to think being overly-productive on the stage is bad form, Mia Zabelka is more the type who has a lot to say, and just keeps on giving. Released on the Italian avant-garde label Setola Di Maiale, this is a great set of performances. The cover art is derived from maps of the cities in question. From June 2020." Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector, 2020.

"(...) Mini essays in string set augmentation, these CDs [the review focus on two albums, the other is from Aisha Orazbayeva "Music for Violin Alone"] concentrate on solo violin expressions, freeing the instrument from its auxiliary role and mostly shattering its tendency towards sweetness. Practically the antithesis of one another Vienna-based Mia Zabelka’s Myasmo consist of four tracks of ratcheting composition-improvisations shaped by Zabelka’s extended fiddle techniques and voice.
Scratchy and staccato much of the time in her playing, Zabelka’s peerless technical command is obvious throughout as when she alternates swift pizzicato plucks with arco sul tasto without pause. Subtly advanced on tracks like “London” is her ability to stretch multiple textures from each individual string. In that manner not only is the root note but also its collective extensions are heard. Convention isn’t altogether abandoned however since she ensures that narratives evolve chromatically and horizontally even as unconventional textures resonate.
Added on this track and as prominently on others, are vocal gymnastics in tandem or in contrast to her string sweeps and squeaks. Sometimes shrieks or sibilant yelps, other times throaty gurgles midway between a witch’s cackle and Bedlam murmur, they’re used as timbral affiliation. On “Tønsberg” for instance vocals erupt alongside stropping, strident sweeps that seem to arise from the fiddle’s peg box and cease when Mia Zabelka makes a surprising turn towards tonality at mid-point. Still, the most imposing display occurs on “Vienna”, the track named for her home town, where jagged strings slather as pizzicato flanges are moderated with vocal harmonies and the finale suggests the textures created by circular cuts across the strings with a knife blade.
Although solo violin recitals have some history in the so-called classical field only innovators like Billy Bang and Leroy Jenkins have tried similar experiments in the improvised music sphere. The commendation that can be implied to these sessions is that while outstanding, they only superficially resemble previous Jazz or notated music recitals." Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, 2021.

"(...) MYASMO by Austrian violinist Mia Zabelka achieves a uniquely old-world quality as each of the four works, recorded across much of northern Europe in 2018 and 2019, are respectively titled “London”, “Le Havre” [France], “Vienna” and “Tønsberg” [Norway]. Though a major voice in European free improvisation and new music, Zabelka holds a special place in the NYC experimental music scene touting collaborations with Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Curran and Lydia Lunch and important dates at The Kitchen and New Music America, among many more. As per usual, Zabelka is working in a purely improvised setting. MYASMO opens with dramatic bowing drawing on the instrument’s most vocal tendencies: angling the bow during strokes, rapid percussive rebounding attacks and pizzicato accents bring out a mournfulness unachievable without such expansive techniques or such a powerful improviser. While solo recordings are far from uncommon within the avant garde, Zabelka’s performances carry gripping melody that taunts and lures in the ear; “London” is an excellent example of this. The quickly moving passages, particularly when blended with her whispery, staccato vocalizations, conjure visuals that can be described as vividly ghostly, yet stunningly beautiful. Perhaps the piece is really for wayward souls of the infamous Tower of London? “Le Havre” makes use of extended techniques and percussive vocalizations as a central aspect, the latter recalling Yoko Ono, and the piece offers a more defined anger, almost a madness. Dizzying presto strokes that are all-encompassing contrast greatly to full-bodied long tones, which build a theme before erupting into harmonic-laced shrieks. “Vienna” begins as an extension of the first, somewhat unifying the set with explorations of dramatic themes that splinter and shred. Listen for the 6’35” point when an undefinable, exhaustive aura of sound leaves your stereo smoking." John Pietaro, The New York City Jazz Record, 2021.

"(…) Wenige Künstler sind es, die sich wie Mia Zabelka mit von Zeitläufen unbeeindruckter Konsequenz einer spannenden ästhetischen Idee verschreiben, der sie die programmatische Treue halten...Es ist aufregend ihr dabei zuzuhören, wie sie mit hoher Virtuosität und technischer Beherrschung ihres Instruments gleichzeitig auf der Violine und mit ihrer Stimme improvisiert, sich in zwei Klangkörper teilt, die miteinander auf äußerst spannende Weise interagieren, aufeinander reagieren... Eine ausdrückliche Hörempfehlung für alle, die Mia Zabelka noch nicht gehört haben." Concerto (AT), 2020.

"(…) Fiolinisten, vokalisten og komponisten Mia Zabelka kommer fra Wien. Hun har tsjekkisk, jødisk og fransk bakgrunn og hun utdannet seg innenfor den klassiske musikken, før hun fikk forståelse av fiolinens tradisjonelle bruk som soloinstrument og et ensemble-insrument man kunne bruke i improvisasjon, eksperimentell musikk og lydkunst. I 2018 var hun gjest på Blow Out-festivalen i Oslo, hvor hun spilte med Maggie Nichols og John Russel, og med disse to, i Trio Blurb, har hun gjort platen «W» på Evil Rabbit-selskapet (anmeldt HER) og med gitaristen Nicola L. Hein på platen «The Honey Pump» på FMR (anmeldt HER). Hun har også samarbeidet med musikere som Elliott Sharp, Dälek, Phill Niblock, Pauline Oliveros, Robin Rimbaud, Electric Indigo, John Russell, Maggie Nicols og Lydia Lunch. På hennes reiseoversikt, er det en rekke konserter som skulle vært avholdt denne våren og sommeren, men som, sannsynligvis, er blitt avlyst på grunn av verdenssituasjonen akkurat nå. Blant annet en turné i Japan som skulle gå av stabelen fra 12. til 22. juni.
Nå er hun ute med soloplaten «Myasmo», som er innspilt ved fire forskjellige anledninger i løpet av 2018 og 2019. Og vi får være med henne til London, Le Havre, Wien og Tønsberg. De fire improvisasjonene har fått navn etter hvilken by hun har besøkt, slik at det åpner med «London» som er gjort den 12. februar 2019 ved Horse Improv Music Club, «Le Havre» er gjort den 16. mars 2019 under PiedNu Festival i Le Havre, «Vienna» er gjort på Wien Modern Festival den 9. november 2018, mens «Tønsberg» er gjort under Nonfigurativ Musikk den 24. august 2019.
Og hun starter med «London». Og allerede fra første tone forstår vi at dette ikke er musikk man våger å sette på når man har gjester til middag. For dette er omtrent så langt fra en «salong-fiolinist» man kan komme. Og bra er det. For dette er ikke musikk man skal sette på mens man holder på med andre sosiale aktiviteter eller gjøremål.
Zabelka avslører seg raskt som en gnistrende god fiolinist, som behersker instrumentet til fulle, og som lager ytterst spennende musikk, selv om hun kun er avhengig av seg selv og at hun ikke har noen andre å «støtte seg til». Og med fiolinen og stemmen lager hun ytterst spennende musikk i det frittgående landskapet.
Alle fire improvisasjonene har samme utgangspunkt og spillet er temmelig likt hele veien. Lyden er også ganske lik, selv om det er fire forskjellige lydteknikere som har «tapet» improvisasjonene, og her tror jeg Lasse Marhaug, som har mikset og mastret de fire konsertopptakene, har gjort en utmerket jobb.
Zabelka er en ekspressiv fiolinist, som vi mer enn gjerne lytter til på konsert i en liten jazzklubb eller et kunstgalleri. For dette er musikk man i første rekke skal oppleve i levende live. Men jeg synes Marhaug har gjort en såpass god jobb i miksingen og mastringen, at musikken også blir spennende og interessant også på plate." Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts, 2020.

"(...) Cette déstructuration lente des sons rejoint-elle l'idée du miasme sonore? Il y a certes une forme de contagion lente et d'appropriation du cheminement sonore pour l'auditeur... mais on peut l'assumer sans barrières..." Pierre Durr, Revue & Corrigée, 2020.

"(...) Live-Zeugnisse einer weltreisenden Improvisateurin. Mia Zabelka sammelte auf »Myasmo« ganz besondere Ausschnitte aus Solokonzerten. »London«, eingespielt im dort situierten Horse Music Club, gefällt mit Violine pur, schluchzend, kreischend, den Raum durchschneidend. Stets kratzbürstig und doch von bewegender, dissonanter Schönheit. Sogleich stößt sie in »Le Havre« in Gefilde vor, wo sich zunächst ihre an Artists aus Tuva gemahnende Stimme mit den teils gezupften Geigenseiten reibt. Another mood und einmal mehr abwechslungsreich, ab Minute 6:45 geht’s tieftönig auch mal Richtung Harmonie, was Zabelka aber gleich mit einer gewissen Dissonanz konterkariert. Und fröhlich geht die Schramm- und Schrummelei weiter, ehe sie als Lokalmatadorin ins Café Korb einkehrt. »Vienna« ist das kürzeste Stück auf »Myasmo« – wohl eine Verdichtung, dargebracht im Rahmen des Festivals Wien Modern. Frau kann auch mal was prägnanter auf den Punkt bringen, ohne deswegen kurzatmig zu werden. Einen für die Klänge Zabelkas symptomatischen Titel hat das Festival im norwegischen Tønsberg: Nonfigurativ Musikk. Auf »Tønsberg«, dem abschließenden, über 18-minütigen Stück, zeigt sie wunderbar sämtliche Facetten ihres Spiels, das besondere Driften zwischen abstrakter Lautmalerei, dem wuchtigen experimentellen Spiel mit den Tönen selbst, aber auch kurzen harmonischen Sequenzen. Es ist tatsächlich »nur« Mia Zabelka solo zu hören auf den vier Live-Aufnahmen, die in den erwähnten vier europäischen Städten zwischen November 2018 und August 2019 entstanden. Sie improvisiert, das muss man wissen, gleichzeitig auf der Violine und mit ihrer Stimme. Und weil sie das kann, ist es ihr möglich, mit diesen beiden Instrumenten Stücke zu spielen, die auf eine Weise wie eine nach außen getragene, innere Assoziationskette wirken. In den vier Improvisationen kann man ihr dabei zuhören, wie sie bei Ideen anhält, die Ideen weiterdenkt, verwirft und weiterspringt. Abstrakt, aber stets sehr gefühlvoll. Wenn die Idee vorbei ist, dann ist sie vorbei, entweder nach 8 oder 18 Minuten. Manchmal hat das kurze Anklänge von Kammermusik, dann wieder benutzt Zabelka die Violine wie auch ihre Kehle als Instrumente, um Bewegungen oder kurze Lauteindrücke zu geben, es driftet ab ins Noisige, wird mitunter äußerst harsch. Im einen Moment scheint die Luft wie zum Bersten geladen, im nächsten Moment explodiert es. Über das Wissen und Können darüber verfügt auch der Weltklassemusiker Lasse Marhaug – Jazkamer, Origami Replika, Kollaborationen über Improv hinaus mit Merzbow oder Sunn O))) –, der in Tønsberg das Live-Recording betreute und alle Tracks dieses Albums mischte und auch das Mastering kongenial besorgte." Skug Magazin, 2020.

"(...) Dans le courant de l’année 2019, Mia Zabelka, violoniste et viennoise, a donné plusieurs concerts solos à I’Klectic à Londres, à PiedNu au Havre, au Café Korb à Vienne lors du Wien Modern Festival (en 2018) et à Tønsberg au NonFigurativ Festival. Elle a rassemblé ici les compositions instantanées les plus convaincantes dans ce beau recueil étalant les intervalles dissonants, les glissandi et soubresauts pointillistes, les étendant avec une belle suite dans les idées ou se laissant conquérir par les audaces de son imagination. Une musique intrigante, pure, volontaire faite de logique instrumentale et d’accidents, gestuelles des pulsions du corps et des impressions de l’âme. Si son jeu peut se révéler aussi vif que les bonds acrobatiques d’un écureuil roux dans les branches d’arbre en arbre, elle a le chic de poser l’archet en douceur faisant vibrer et chanter un croquis dodécaphonique en suspension ou gratter nerveusement les cordes sur le chevalet pour faire crier les tripes de la table d’harmonie. De temps en temps, sa voix interpelle son action percussive sur les cordes avec des phonèmes, comme au début de Tønsberg, sans doute, avec ses dix-huit minutes concentrées, la pièce maîtresse de cet opus. Sous ses doigts le violon dévoile sa voix, sa consistance. Sa pensée musicale et son sens de la narration lui fait accentuer les notes hautes de ses gammes hasardeuses, ses coups de griffes ou les contorsions de frottements compulsifs comme si elle voulait toujours atteindre cette autre dimension inconnue où son esprit et sa volonté la guide. Après maints efforts à la recherche de sa proie imaginaire, elle assume le retour d’un air grave confronté au silence pour le faire monter en graine dans un crescendo minutieux d’énergie libérée, concluant son long périple solitaire de manière irrévocable. Saluons l’audace de Mia Zabelka face aux éléments et au violon seul, livré à lui-même dans l’espace sonore. NB: nouvelles pochettes cartonnées et colorées chez Setola di Maiale." Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Orynx-Improv and Sounds, 2020.

"(...) Im Mai veröffentlichte die in der Südsteiermark lebende Violinistin MIA ZABELKA ihr neuestes Werk, welches live in vier verschiedenen Städten Europas aufgenommen wurde. Die Königin der „Noise-Violin“ präsentiert uns mit „MYASMO“ (Setola di Maiale) ein überaus spannendes und Grenzen auslotendes Album und bleibt damit ihrer kreativen Herangehensweise treu.
Mia Zabelka war schon früh von kreativen und experimentellen Ansätzen in der Musik bzw. Kunst begeistert. So arbeitete sie bereits in den 1990er Jahren mit elektronischen Elementen und deren breit gefächerten Möglichkeiten. Seither kann die Ausnahmekünstlerin unzählige außergewöhnliche Projekte, inklusive hochkarätiger Kollaborationen (u.a. mit John Zorn und David Moss), verbuchen und entwickelt ihre kreative Kraft dabei stets weiter.
Kunst und Innovation. London, Le Havre, Wien und Tønsberg. In diesen vier Städten wurden die vier Sets vor Publikum live improvisiert und aufgenommen. Instrumentiert „nur“ durch die Violine und Mia Zabelkas Stimme ermöglicht dieses interessante Setting, sich auf das Wesentliche zu reduzieren und den künstlerischen Ausdruck ungefiltert nach außen zu tragen. Dies geschieht hörbar eindrucksvoll. Der Soundkünstlerin geht es dabei um eine Auslotung des Verhältnisses von Körper, Gestik, Klang und Raum, welche sie durch ihre experimentellen Improvisationstechniken hervorragend demonstriert. Vielschichtig, komplex und doch eindeutig, gestaltet sich das Dargebotene. Eine derartige musikalische Arbeitsweise ist gewissermaßen auch ein Blick in die (kreative) Seele der Künstlerin bzw. auch die des Publikums, was diese Form des Ausdrucks ungemein interessant macht.
„MYASMO“ liefert eine spannende Sichtweise auf Musik bzw. Kunst im Allgemeinen, und die äußerst intime Interaktion zwischen Mia Zabelka und ihrem Instrument bzw. ihrer Stimme im Speziellen. Interessierte einer freien musikalischen Zugangsweise werden sicherlich beeindruckt sein!" Alexander Kochman, Music Austria, 2020.

"(...) Dit soloalbum van de Oostenrijkse violiste Mia Zabelka bestaat uit 4 lange geïmproviseerde stukken, opgenomen in 4 verschillende steden. Elk stuk is getiteld naar de stad waarin het is opgenomen. Deze 50 minuten solo out of the box viool laat ons fascinerende exploraties horen van een creatieve kunstenaar die abstracte improvisaties verheft tot intrigerende auditieve verhalen met passages die balanceren tussen het poëtische en het bizarre, tussen zacht en hard, tussen bedachtzaamheid en extase. Nooit wordt het chaotisch op een richtingloze manier; er is altijd een doel, altijd een zin.
Het is het soort muziek dat bij elke beluistering toegankelijker wordt en je meeneemt op een auditieve reis." Geert Ryssen, Jazz & Mo, 2020.

"(...) Czas na ostatni epizod naszych pandemicznych solówek. Mia Zabelka na skrzypcach, z wykorzystaniem własnego głosu, w koncertowych ujawnieniach z lat 2018-19 – kolejno z Londynu, francuskiego Le Havre, Wiednia i norweskiego Tønsberg. Cztery swobodnie skomponowane improwizacje, łącznie 52 i pół minuty.
Zaczynamy w skąpych przestrzeniach londyńskiego Iklectik. Dźwięk wydaje się być zbierany jednym mikrofonem, brzmienie skrzypiec jest brudne, stłamszone, zatem niebywale intrygujące, mimo incydentalnie pojawiających się niemal basowych przesterów. Mia śle ostre, wysoko podwieszone frazy, czyniąc wszystko z minimalistycznym sznytem i odrobiną kameralnej zadumy. Wirtuozeria wykonania w punkowych okolicznościach brzmieniowych! Skrzypcom dość szybko towarzyszyć zaczyna głos artystki – improwizowany pół scat, szepty i kocie piski. W momentach, gdy osią dramaturgiczną staje się ów głos, strunowiec pięknie podkreśla wagę chwili akcentami post-perkusjonalnymi. Płyną do nas dźwięki pełne emocji, rzadko skoncentrowane na melodyce, pozbawione słodyczy, raczej bliższe agresji. Brzmienie całości sprawia, iż narracja momentami ociera się o akustyczny noise. Drugi koncert wprowadza więcej post-kameralnej powolności, samo brzmienie instrumentu zdaje się być czystsze i bardziej przestrzenne, choć nadal surowe. Faza wokalno-instrumentalna zaczyna się już w połowie czwartej minuty – zgrzyty na gryfie, pisk strun i wokalne całowanki, bliskie estetyki Billiany Voutchkovej. Czynione na dużej dynamice są doprawdy imponujące! Gdy Mia wchodzi w stan śpiewu, skrzypce kontrapunktują niemal z rockową ekspresją. Po 10 minucie możemy już mówić o małym hołdzie, składanym estetyce punk’s not dead!
Lądujemy w rodzinnym dla artystki Wiedniu. Na początku akcenty kreatywnego minimalizmu, wszakże nie bez ognia na gryfie i zadziornych fraz. Bogaty arsenał technik artykulacyjnych i improwizatorskiej wyobraźni. Przy okazji odnotowujemy najlepszą, jak dotąd jakość brzmienia skrzypiec. Faza gadulstwa przypomina salonowe pląsy i dworskie igraszki. Aura chamber wzmaga siłę śpiewu, który przypomina żałobny tren. Akcja zdaje się tu gonić akcję – szczególnie udana jest faza finałowa, stawiająca na bystre preparacje jakże czysto brzmiących w Wiedniu skrzypiec. Ostatni, norweski koncert - powraca brudny tembr strunowca. Trochę minimalizmu i na poły wokalnego zawodzenia. W tej fazie dużo zabawy – syczenie, miałczenie, charczenie i pokrzykiwanie. Tuż po niej – schemat dramaturgiczny zostaje zachowany – moment dłuższych, śpiewanych fraz. Bystre post-chamber do kielicha z czymś dobrze zmrożonym! W drugiej części utworu sporo nowych elementów – akcenty para taneczne, szorowanie strun w niemal industrialnej estetyce, a także faza minimalistyczna, poszukująca utraconej melodyki, poniekąd także brudnego brzmienia. Na samo zakończenie galopada myśli i dźwięków, nawet dość hałaśliwa, która kończy zbiór koncertowych epizodów na zadziorne skrzypce i zalotny głos damski." Spontaneous Music Tribune, 2020.

01 _ London​​ 11:36
02 _ Le Havre​​ 13:35
03 _ Vienna ​​8:47
04 _ Tønsberg ​​18:22

(C) + (P) 2020

CD digisleeve 4 pages

Mia Zabelka _ violin _ vocals _ compositions

Live recordings from some great concerts by this incredible Austrian violinist, improviser and composer. All tracks mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug. Track 1 was recorded live by Saint Austral Sound, February 12, 2019 at Horse Improv Music Club, Iklectik, London (GB). Track 2 was recorded live by Sylvain Leconte / Radio France Musique, March 16, 2019 at PiedNu Festival, Le Havre (FR). Track 3 was recorded live by Herbert Lacina, November 9, 2018 at Wien Modern Festival, Café Korb, Vienna (AT). Track 4 was recorded live by Lasse Marhaug, August 24, 2019 at Nonfigurativ Musikk, Tønsberg (NO).

For more info:
https://www.miazabelka.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Zabelka

"(...) Austrian artist Mia Zabelka works as a violinist, improviser and composer. With a background in classical music from an early age, she developed interests in experimental and improvised music, leading up to very different musical practices. Overviewing her collaborations it is remarkable how diverse they are. She did duo work with Zahra Mani, Conny Zenk and Nicola L.Hein. In trio-format, she worked with Maggie Nicols and John Russell as Trio Blurb and very recent in a collaboration with James Plotkin and Benjamin Finger. Her collaborations don’t give the feeling she works within a limited and obvious circle of musicians. I suppose she is an artist who very much on her own decides what to do, with whom to work, etc. Offered here are four live improvisations, recorded during concerts in London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg in 2018-2019. Four solo live recordings (2018-2019) of concerts in London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg. The first improvisation starts very pronounced and develops narratively as if she is telling a story. This phase dissolves in a playful episode starts that has her playing and non-verbal singing simultaneously. Followed by a more reflective section that grows in power and dynamics. Also, the second improvisation starts with strong solo, before it is followed by a second phase supplemented again with vocals. During this section, she creates a fascinating slightly distorted sound ending up in a fantastic finale of noisy and aggressive playing. On the edge! All four improvisations suggest she loosely works from a certain framework. First two improvisations, for example, have very traceable influences of classical music in the opening sections. In all improvisations, the second part is the most dynamic and powerful one. Zabelka proves once more to be a very expressive and self-conscious performer. She likes to keep things a bit rough but is also technically very skilled. So her improvisations have much to offer, often reaching strongly vibrating and glowing moments. All her ideas and skills are in function of a strong focus and sense of direction. A very solid and convincing work!" Dolf Mulder, Vital Weekly, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka is an Austrian contemporary violinist, improviser, and composer of Czech, Jewish and French familiar background. Comprehensively educated in classical music from early age on she opened up the traditional understanding of the violin as solo and ensemble instrument towards improvisation, experimental music, and sound art.
Mia just released her solo album ‘Myasmo’ with four long improvised pieces, recorded in four different cities. Each piece is titled after the city it was recorded in. It’s a pure solo recording with only Mia’s violin and (wordless) vocals.
Fifty minutes of solo "out of the box" violin is not the kind of album you play at a candlelight dinner! That being said, 'Myismo' is nevertheless fascinating stuff by a creative artist that turns abstract improvisations into intriguing auditive stories with passages that swing from the poetic to the bizarre, from sweetness to harshness, from thoughtfulness to ecstasy. But it never gets chaotic in a directionless way. There’s always a purpose, always a lead that fits everything together. It’s the kind of record that becomes more and more like “easy to listen to” with every spin. Music to really get into and to go along with the journey. ‘Myasmo’ is released on the Setola Di Maiale label in Italy." Geert Ryssen, Full Circle Music, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka is an Austrian violinist (worth mentioning her truly international background - French, Jewish, Czech) with multiple releases and multiple universes that she is travelling through.
Classically trained in violin both solo and and in ensemble, she explores possibility of her instrument both in acoustic and electronic context - sonorous, more melodic, and elsewhere.
MYASMO, her new album released as a cd and download brings to our attention four places and four sets she has been playing - London, Le Havre, Vienna and Tønsberg. Four different places and four different sets that are connected through acoustic vibe and her vocal improvisations.
Quite dynamic if not frenetic - improvised sets laid out in fully improvised manner but full of discipline and tension.
Mastered by invaluable Lasse Marhaug this fine cd is a nice introduction to Mia's musical world - but only partly - it's definitely an evidence of her surehand skills and mastery of violin. It shows how much you can get out of the instrument and create a lot of emotive themes through improvisation.
Highly recommended taster to her work." Felthat, 2020.

"(...) Although her first album was released in 1987, Austrian violinist and vocalist Mia Zabelka has not released many recordings, Myasmo being the twenty-sixth. Despite impressive albums by groupings such as Trio Blurb, those featuring Zabelka solo stand out; so it is a pleasure to report that Myasmo is the latest addition to that select collection. For Zabelka herself it is the development of her solo album Monday Sessions (Creative Sources, 2015). Whereas that album was recorded on four Mondays in January and February 2015, at Klanghaus Untergreith, the international centre for sound art founded by Zabelka and co-director Zahra Mani in 2008, Myasmo features four tracks recorded live at gigs between November 2018 and August 2019, each in a different European location—London, Le Havre, Vienna, and Tønsberg. The tracks vary in length from eight-and-a-half minutes to eighteen-and-a-half.
Although Zabelka is credited with "compositions," she is actually a free improviser, one who describes what she does as "automatic playing"; she elaborates on that by saying, "The gestures and phrasing which are intrinsically ever-present when playing the instrument are inflated, exaggerated, transformed, de-constructed, and I succeed in finding new musical formulations through this, reaching beyond most stereotypes and clichés." The last part of that quote highlights an important difference between Zabelka and some classically-trained improvisers who can too easily fall into well-trodden pathways. By comparison, Zabelka's playing is fluid and fluent, flowing easily without any awkward pauses or jump cuts, sounding as natural as breathing. Yes, there are changes of mood but these are integrated rather than catching the listener unawares. So, one instant Zabelka can be conjuring up a low-key, mournful mood, the next soaring like a bird on the wing, carefree. Zabelka again: "Various musical genres that interest me, from classical music to free improvisation and sound art, noise, drone, ambient, punk, jazz to heavy metal, are filtered by me, through my body." Again, she walks it as she talks it, with her playing feeling eclectic and varied, but always personal to her. Free improvisation has often been referred to as spontaneous composition; in Zabelka's hands, it undoubtedly is.
The same is as true of Zabelka's vocals as of her violin playing. Being a member of Trio Blurb and, hence, having gigged and recorded with improvising vocalist Maggie Nicols, has undoubtedly affected Zabelka, as it would anyone. But, let us not forget that Zabelka has also recorded with Lydia Lunch, also a strong stylist. Nonetheless, the violinist remains her own person, not a copyist, able to go where her own musical instincts take her. In her case, the most remarkable feature of her music is that she can improvise on violin and voice simultaneously, being able to sound like two distinct individuals interacting and reacting to one another. Impressive.
In a nutshell, Myasmo is recommended to anyone with a penchant for improv, particularly on violin or voice. Those who have yet to hear Zabelka can confidently start here, as this may prove to be her best album to date." John Eyles, All About Jazz, 2020.

"(...) Vital Signs. Latest record from Mia Zabelka is Myasmo (SETOLA DI MAIALE SM4100), a “travelogue” record showcasing four of her live performances and improvisations from around Europe in 2018 and 2019.
This talented Austrian violinist made a strong first impression here with her M solo CD for Monotype Records which we noted in 2012, and since then there’s been a succession of strong collaborations and unusual projects, all of them good, but the “purist” sentiment which we sometimes indulge craves the solo material where a performer stands or falls on strength of a single there-and-then event. None of the electric violin on these four cuts which I think are mostly acoustic, but there are plenty instances where her voice comes into play, and an integrated musical statement appears right there in the room. On ‘London’, for instance, it’s that odd talk-in-tongues mode of non-lingual gibberish and guttural emissions, combined with passages of musical astringency that grow increasingly agitated and anxious, just the way we like it. On ‘Le Havre’ – every piece is named after location of performing venue – here’s a reminder of how “maximal” this player can be, at a time when every improviser and their brother is determined to follow the trend towards minimalism and reduced playing. These Havre sweeps are full of juice and melody, harmonics, and occasional biting tones – in fine, all the things that violin players ought to be doing in an ideal world. Zabelka fears not melody here. When strings need a break, once again the tongue-twitching mouth, now sighing and groaning, is brought into play.
‘Vienna’ might be the point to highlight Zabelka’s take on “extended technique”, except that she has her own unique slant on this contentious issue. Where many “extendo” improvisers end up disguising or changing the natural sound of their instrument, she delivers something more like an enhancement, an improvement. Certain lively segments are evidence of a very active right arm, perhaps even entire body; can’t help seeing an image of wiry frame twitching and convulsing as if electrified, but with a non-lethal dose of 115 volts. Further unusual “talkative” melodies and lines of enquiry on ‘Tonsberg’, incidentally captured by Lasse “I Am Everywhere” Marhaug at this Norway venue. ‘Tonsberg’ comes in at a lengthy 18:22 and one of its more outré features is the tribal uluating that bleats into view during the first 3-5 mins. Here also, note how the “maximal” mode is toned down somewhat when at one point she chooses to exhibit some extreme dynamics in the flow of the piece, yawning gaps of silence in between very odd plucks and scrapes. This one also contains some of her most frantic squealing and sputtering on the whole CD, verging on wild acoustic noise.
At a time when we often feel a bit short-changed by miserly or ungenerous musicians, who seem to think being overly-productive on the stage is bad form, Mia Zabelka is more the type who has a lot to say, and just keeps on giving. Released on the Italian avant-garde label Setola Di Maiale, this is a great set of performances. The cover art is derived from maps of the cities in question. From June 2020." Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector, 2020.

"(...) Myasmo is also part of ‘Johannes Rosenberg’s list of Recommended String Improvisations Recordings’, on Orynx-Improv and Sound. Johannes Rosenberg (Jon Rose) was a legendary violinist, visionary composer and freak-out athlete ahead of his time.

"(...) Mini essays in string set augmentation, these CDs [the review focus on two albums, the other is from Aisha Orazbayeva "Music for Violin Alone"] concentrate on solo violin expressions, freeing the instrument from its auxiliary role and mostly shattering its tendency towards sweetness. Practically the antithesis of one another Vienna-based Mia Zabelka’s Myasmo consist of four tracks of ratcheting composition-improvisations shaped by Zabelka’s extended fiddle techniques and voice.
Scratchy and staccato much of the time in her playing, Zabelka’s peerless technical command is obvious throughout as when she alternates swift pizzicato plucks with arco sul tasto without pause. Subtly advanced on tracks like “London” is her ability to stretch multiple textures from each individual string. In that manner not only is the root note but also its collective extensions are heard. Convention isn’t altogether abandoned however since she ensures that narratives evolve chromatically and horizontally even as unconventional textures resonate.
Added on this track and as prominently on others, are vocal gymnastics in tandem or in contrast to her string sweeps and squeaks. Sometimes shrieks or sibilant yelps, other times throaty gurgles midway between a witch’s cackle and Bedlam murmur, they’re used as timbral affiliation. On “Tønsberg” for instance vocals erupt alongside stropping, strident sweeps that seem to arise from the fiddle’s peg box and cease when Mia Zabelka makes a surprising turn towards tonality at mid-point. Still, the most imposing display occurs on “Vienna”, the track named for her home town, where jagged strings slather as pizzicato flanges are moderated with vocal harmonies and the finale suggests the textures created by circular cuts across the strings with a knife blade.
Although solo violin recitals have some history in the so-called classical field only innovators like Billy Bang and Leroy Jenkins have tried similar experiments in the improvised music sphere. The commendation that can be implied to these sessions is that while outstanding, they only superficially resemble previous Jazz or notated music recitals." Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, 2021.

"(...) MYASMO by Austrian violinist Mia Zabelka achieves a uniquely old-world quality as each of the four works, recorded across much of northern Europe in 2018 and 2019, are respectively titled “London”, “Le Havre” [France], “Vienna” and “Tønsberg” [Norway]. Though a major voice in European free improvisation and new music, Zabelka holds a special place in the NYC experimental music scene touting collaborations with Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Curran and Lydia Lunch and important dates at The Kitchen and New Music America, among many more. As per usual, Zabelka is working in a purely improvised setting. MYASMO opens with dramatic bowing drawing on the instrument’s most vocal tendencies: angling the bow during strokes, rapid percussive rebounding attacks and pizzicato accents bring out a mournfulness unachievable without such expansive techniques or such a powerful improviser. While solo recordings are far from uncommon within the avant garde, Zabelka’s performances carry gripping melody that taunts and lures in the ear; “London” is an excellent example of this. The quickly moving passages, particularly when blended with her whispery, staccato vocalizations, conjure visuals that can be described as vividly ghostly, yet stunningly beautiful. Perhaps the piece is really for wayward souls of the infamous Tower of London? “Le Havre” makes use of extended techniques and percussive vocalizations as a central aspect, the latter recalling Yoko Ono, and the piece offers a more defined anger, almost a madness. Dizzying presto strokes that are all-encompassing contrast greatly to full-bodied long tones, which build a theme before erupting into harmonic-laced shrieks. “Vienna” begins as an extension of the first, somewhat unifying the set with explorations of dramatic themes that splinter and shred. Listen for the 6’35” point when an undefinable, exhaustive aura of sound leaves your stereo smoking." John Pietaro, The New York City Jazz Record, 2021.

"(…) Wenige Künstler sind es, die sich wie Mia Zabelka mit von Zeitläufen unbeeindruckter Konsequenz einer spannenden ästhetischen Idee verschreiben, der sie die programmatische Treue halten...Es ist aufregend ihr dabei zuzuhören, wie sie mit hoher Virtuosität und technischer Beherrschung ihres Instruments gleichzeitig auf der Violine und mit ihrer Stimme improvisiert, sich in zwei Klangkörper teilt, die miteinander auf äußerst spannende Weise interagieren, aufeinander reagieren... Eine ausdrückliche Hörempfehlung für alle, die Mia Zabelka noch nicht gehört haben." Concerto (AT), 2020.

"(…) Fiolinisten, vokalisten og komponisten Mia Zabelka kommer fra Wien. Hun har tsjekkisk, jødisk og fransk bakgrunn og hun utdannet seg innenfor den klassiske musikken, før hun fikk forståelse av fiolinens tradisjonelle bruk som soloinstrument og et ensemble-insrument man kunne bruke i improvisasjon, eksperimentell musikk og lydkunst. I 2018 var hun gjest på Blow Out-festivalen i Oslo, hvor hun spilte med Maggie Nichols og John Russel, og med disse to, i Trio Blurb, har hun gjort platen «W» på Evil Rabbit-selskapet (anmeldt HER) og med gitaristen Nicola L. Hein på platen «The Honey Pump» på FMR (anmeldt HER). Hun har også samarbeidet med musikere som Elliott Sharp, Dälek, Phill Niblock, Pauline Oliveros, Robin Rimbaud, Electric Indigo, John Russell, Maggie Nicols og Lydia Lunch. På hennes reiseoversikt, er det en rekke konserter som skulle vært avholdt denne våren og sommeren, men som, sannsynligvis, er blitt avlyst på grunn av verdenssituasjonen akkurat nå. Blant annet en turné i Japan som skulle gå av stabelen fra 12. til 22. juni.
Nå er hun ute med soloplaten «Myasmo», som er innspilt ved fire forskjellige anledninger i løpet av 2018 og 2019. Og vi får være med henne til London, Le Havre, Wien og Tønsberg. De fire improvisasjonene har fått navn etter hvilken by hun har besøkt, slik at det åpner med «London» som er gjort den 12. februar 2019 ved Horse Improv Music Club, «Le Havre» er gjort den 16. mars 2019 under PiedNu Festival i Le Havre, «Vienna» er gjort på Wien Modern Festival den 9. november 2018, mens «Tønsberg» er gjort under Nonfigurativ Musikk den 24. august 2019.
Og hun starter med «London». Og allerede fra første tone forstår vi at dette ikke er musikk man våger å sette på når man har gjester til middag. For dette er omtrent så langt fra en «salong-fiolinist» man kan komme. Og bra er det. For dette er ikke musikk man skal sette på mens man holder på med andre sosiale aktiviteter eller gjøremål.
Zabelka avslører seg raskt som en gnistrende god fiolinist, som behersker instrumentet til fulle, og som lager ytterst spennende musikk, selv om hun kun er avhengig av seg selv og at hun ikke har noen andre å «støtte seg til». Og med fiolinen og stemmen lager hun ytterst spennende musikk i det frittgående landskapet.
Alle fire improvisasjonene har samme utgangspunkt og spillet er temmelig likt hele veien. Lyden er også ganske lik, selv om det er fire forskjellige lydteknikere som har «tapet» improvisasjonene, og her tror jeg Lasse Marhaug, som har mikset og mastret de fire konsertopptakene, har gjort en utmerket jobb.
Zabelka er en ekspressiv fiolinist, som vi mer enn gjerne lytter til på konsert i en liten jazzklubb eller et kunstgalleri. For dette er musikk man i første rekke skal oppleve i levende live. Men jeg synes Marhaug har gjort en såpass god jobb i miksingen og mastringen, at musikken også blir spennende og interessant også på plate." Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts, 2020.

"(...) Cette déstructuration lente des sons rejoint-elle l'idée du miasme sonore? Il y a certes une forme de contagion lente et d'appropriation du cheminement sonore pour l'auditeur... mais on peut l'assumer sans barrières..." Pierre Durr, Revue & Corrigée, 2020.

"(...) Live-Zeugnisse einer weltreisenden Improvisateurin. Mia Zabelka sammelte auf »Myasmo« ganz besondere Ausschnitte aus Solokonzerten. »London«, eingespielt im dort situierten Horse Music Club, gefällt mit Violine pur, schluchzend, kreischend, den Raum durchschneidend. Stets kratzbürstig und doch von bewegender, dissonanter Schönheit. Sogleich stößt sie in »Le Havre« in Gefilde vor, wo sich zunächst ihre an Artists aus Tuva gemahnende Stimme mit den teils gezupften Geigenseiten reibt. Another mood und einmal mehr abwechslungsreich, ab Minute 6:45 geht’s tieftönig auch mal Richtung Harmonie, was Zabelka aber gleich mit einer gewissen Dissonanz konterkariert. Und fröhlich geht die Schramm- und Schrummelei weiter, ehe sie als Lokalmatadorin ins Café Korb einkehrt. »Vienna« ist das kürzeste Stück auf »Myasmo« – wohl eine Verdichtung, dargebracht im Rahmen des Festivals Wien Modern. Frau kann auch mal was prägnanter auf den Punkt bringen, ohne deswegen kurzatmig zu werden. Einen für die Klänge Zabelkas symptomatischen Titel hat das Festival im norwegischen Tønsberg: Nonfigurativ Musikk. Auf »Tønsberg«, dem abschließenden, über 18-minütigen Stück, zeigt sie wunderbar sämtliche Facetten ihres Spiels, das besondere Driften zwischen abstrakter Lautmalerei, dem wuchtigen experimentellen Spiel mit den Tönen selbst, aber auch kurzen harmonischen Sequenzen. Es ist tatsächlich »nur« Mia Zabelka solo zu hören auf den vier Live-Aufnahmen, die in den erwähnten vier europäischen Städten zwischen November 2018 und August 2019 entstanden. Sie improvisiert, das muss man wissen, gleichzeitig auf der Violine und mit ihrer Stimme. Und weil sie das kann, ist es ihr möglich, mit diesen beiden Instrumenten Stücke zu spielen, die auf eine Weise wie eine nach außen getragene, innere Assoziationskette wirken. In den vier Improvisationen kann man ihr dabei zuhören, wie sie bei Ideen anhält, die Ideen weiterdenkt, verwirft und weiterspringt. Abstrakt, aber stets sehr gefühlvoll. Wenn die Idee vorbei ist, dann ist sie vorbei, entweder nach 8 oder 18 Minuten. Manchmal hat das kurze Anklänge von Kammermusik, dann wieder benutzt Zabelka die Violine wie auch ihre Kehle als Instrumente, um Bewegungen oder kurze Lauteindrücke zu geben, es driftet ab ins Noisige, wird mitunter äußerst harsch. Im einen Moment scheint die Luft wie zum Bersten geladen, im nächsten Moment explodiert es. Über das Wissen und Können darüber verfügt auch der Weltklassemusiker Lasse Marhaug – Jazkamer, Origami Replika, Kollaborationen über Improv hinaus mit Merzbow oder Sunn O))) –, der in Tønsberg das Live-Recording betreute und alle Tracks dieses Albums mischte und auch das Mastering kongenial besorgte." Skug Magazin, 2020.

"(...) Dans le courant de l’année 2019, Mia Zabelka, violoniste et viennoise, a donné plusieurs concerts solos à I’Klectic à Londres, à PiedNu au Havre, au Café Korb à Vienne lors du Wien Modern Festival (en 2018) et à Tønsberg au NonFigurativ Festival. Elle a rassemblé ici les compositions instantanées les plus convaincantes dans ce beau recueil étalant les intervalles dissonants, les glissandi et soubresauts pointillistes, les étendant avec une belle suite dans les idées ou se laissant conquérir par les audaces de son imagination. Une musique intrigante, pure, volontaire faite de logique instrumentale et d’accidents, gestuelles des pulsions du corps et des impressions de l’âme. Si son jeu peut se révéler aussi vif que les bonds acrobatiques d’un écureuil roux dans les branches d’arbre en arbre, elle a le chic de poser l’archet en douceur faisant vibrer et chanter un croquis dodécaphonique en suspension ou gratter nerveusement les cordes sur le chevalet pour faire crier les tripes de la table d’harmonie. De temps en temps, sa voix interpelle son action percussive sur les cordes avec des phonèmes, comme au début de Tønsberg, sans doute, avec ses dix-huit minutes concentrées, la pièce maîtresse de cet opus. Sous ses doigts le violon dévoile sa voix, sa consistance. Sa pensée musicale et son sens de la narration lui fait accentuer les notes hautes de ses gammes hasardeuses, ses coups de griffes ou les contorsions de frottements compulsifs comme si elle voulait toujours atteindre cette autre dimension inconnue où son esprit et sa volonté la guide. Après maints efforts à la recherche de sa proie imaginaire, elle assume le retour d’un air grave confronté au silence pour le faire monter en graine dans un crescendo minutieux d’énergie libérée, concluant son long périple solitaire de manière irrévocable. Saluons l’audace de Mia Zabelka face aux éléments et au violon seul, livré à lui-même dans l’espace sonore. NB: nouvelles pochettes cartonnées et colorées chez Setola di Maiale." Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Orynx-Improv and Sounds, 2020.

"(...) Im Mai veröffentlichte die in der Südsteiermark lebende Violinistin MIA ZABELKA ihr neuestes Werk, welches live in vier verschiedenen Städten Europas aufgenommen wurde. Die Königin der „Noise-Violin“ präsentiert uns mit „MYASMO“ (Setola di Maiale) ein überaus spannendes und Grenzen auslotendes Album und bleibt damit ihrer kreativen Herangehensweise treu.
Mia Zabelka war schon früh von kreativen und experimentellen Ansätzen in der Musik bzw. Kunst begeistert. So arbeitete sie bereits in den 1990er Jahren mit elektronischen Elementen und deren breit gefächerten Möglichkeiten. Seither kann die Ausnahmekünstlerin unzählige außergewöhnliche Projekte, inklusive hochkarätiger Kollaborationen (u.a. mit John Zorn und David Moss), verbuchen und entwickelt ihre kreative Kraft dabei stets weiter.
Kunst und Innovation. London, Le Havre, Wien und Tønsberg. In diesen vier Städten wurden die vier Sets vor Publikum live improvisiert und aufgenommen. Instrumentiert „nur“ durch die Violine und Mia Zabelkas Stimme ermöglicht dieses interessante Setting, sich auf das Wesentliche zu reduzieren und den künstlerischen Ausdruck ungefiltert nach außen zu tragen. Dies geschieht hörbar eindrucksvoll. Der Soundkünstlerin geht es dabei um eine Auslotung des Verhältnisses von Körper, Gestik, Klang und Raum, welche sie durch ihre experimentellen Improvisationstechniken hervorragend demonstriert. Vielschichtig, komplex und doch eindeutig, gestaltet sich das Dargebotene. Eine derartige musikalische Arbeitsweise ist gewissermaßen auch ein Blick in die (kreative) Seele der Künstlerin bzw. auch die des Publikums, was diese Form des Ausdrucks ungemein interessant macht.
„MYASMO“ liefert eine spannende Sichtweise auf Musik bzw. Kunst im Allgemeinen, und die äußerst intime Interaktion zwischen Mia Zabelka und ihrem Instrument bzw. ihrer Stimme im Speziellen. Interessierte einer freien musikalischen Zugangsweise werden sicherlich beeindruckt sein!" Alexander Kochman, Music Austria, 2020.

"(...) Dit soloalbum van de Oostenrijkse violiste Mia Zabelka bestaat uit 4 lange geïmproviseerde stukken, opgenomen in 4 verschillende steden. Elk stuk is getiteld naar de stad waarin het is opgenomen. Deze 50 minuten solo out of the box viool laat ons fascinerende exploraties horen van een creatieve kunstenaar die abstracte improvisaties verheft tot intrigerende auditieve verhalen met passages die balanceren tussen het poëtische en het bizarre, tussen zacht en hard, tussen bedachtzaamheid en extase. Nooit wordt het chaotisch op een richtingloze manier; er is altijd een doel, altijd een zin.
Het is het soort muziek dat bij elke beluistering toegankelijker wordt en je meeneemt op een auditieve reis." Geert Ryssen, Jazz & Mo, 2020.

"(...) Czas na ostatni epizod naszych pandemicznych solówek. Mia Zabelka na skrzypcach, z wykorzystaniem własnego głosu, w koncertowych ujawnieniach z lat 2018-19 – kolejno z Londynu, francuskiego Le Havre, Wiednia i norweskiego Tønsberg. Cztery swobodnie skomponowane improwizacje, łącznie 52 i pół minuty.
Zaczynamy w skąpych przestrzeniach londyńskiego Iklectik. Dźwięk wydaje się być zbierany jednym mikrofonem, brzmienie skrzypiec jest brudne, stłamszone, zatem niebywale intrygujące, mimo incydentalnie pojawiających się niemal basowych przesterów. Mia śle ostre, wysoko podwieszone frazy, czyniąc wszystko z minimalistycznym sznytem i odrobiną kameralnej zadumy. Wirtuozeria wykonania w punkowych okolicznościach brzmieniowych! Skrzypcom dość szybko towarzyszyć zaczyna głos artystki – improwizowany pół scat, szepty i kocie piski. W momentach, gdy osią dramaturgiczną staje się ów głos, strunowiec pięknie podkreśla wagę chwili akcentami post-perkusjonalnymi. Płyną do nas dźwięki pełne emocji, rzadko skoncentrowane na melodyce, pozbawione słodyczy, raczej bliższe agresji. Brzmienie całości sprawia, iż narracja momentami ociera się o akustyczny noise. Drugi koncert wprowadza więcej post-kameralnej powolności, samo brzmienie instrumentu zdaje się być czystsze i bardziej przestrzenne, choć nadal surowe. Faza wokalno-instrumentalna zaczyna się już w połowie czwartej minuty – zgrzyty na gryfie, pisk strun i wokalne całowanki, bliskie estetyki Billiany Voutchkovej. Czynione na dużej dynamice są doprawdy imponujące! Gdy Mia wchodzi w stan śpiewu, skrzypce kontrapunktują niemal z rockową ekspresją. Po 10 minucie możemy już mówić o małym hołdzie, składanym estetyce punk’s not dead!
Lądujemy w rodzinnym dla artystki Wiedniu. Na początku akcenty kreatywnego minimalizmu, wszakże nie bez ognia na gryfie i zadziornych fraz. Bogaty arsenał technik artykulacyjnych i improwizatorskiej wyobraźni. Przy okazji odnotowujemy najlepszą, jak dotąd jakość brzmienia skrzypiec. Faza gadulstwa przypomina salonowe pląsy i dworskie igraszki. Aura chamber wzmaga siłę śpiewu, który przypomina żałobny tren. Akcja zdaje się tu gonić akcję – szczególnie udana jest faza finałowa, stawiająca na bystre preparacje jakże czysto brzmiących w Wiedniu skrzypiec. Ostatni, norweski koncert - powraca brudny tembr strunowca. Trochę minimalizmu i na poły wokalnego zawodzenia. W tej fazie dużo zabawy – syczenie, miałczenie, charczenie i pokrzykiwanie. Tuż po niej – schemat dramaturgiczny zostaje zachowany – moment dłuższych, śpiewanych fraz. Bystre post-chamber do kielicha z czymś dobrze zmrożonym! W drugiej części utworu sporo nowych elementów – akcenty para taneczne, szorowanie strun w niemal industrialnej estetyce, a także faza minimalistyczna, poszukująca utraconej melodyki, poniekąd także brudnego brzmienia. Na samo zakończenie galopada myśli i dźwięków, nawet dość hałaśliwa, która kończy zbiór koncertowych epizodów na zadziorne skrzypce i zalotny głos damski." Spontaneous Music Tribune, 2020.

"(...) Mia Zabelka è una violinista, compositrice ed improvvisatrice austriaca, a cui molta stampa specializzata ha dato credito per via di alcune nuove definizioni: Zabelka ha parlato di “automatic playing” per indicare processi dell’improvvisazione di tipo organico, che sfruttano tutte le possibilità offerte dalle tecniche e dalle strutture (una sorta di improvvisazione totale che prende in considerazione capacità del musicista, impianti che usa e metodi di qualsiasi provenienza); lo scopo è ottenere l’equivalente di un discorso, considerando il corpo come un conduttore dell’espressione, quindi anche attraverso una gestualità pronunciata. Molto interessante è anche il concetto di “cellular resonance“, che ha curato tramite il violino elettrificato e l’elettronica. La Zabelka è una studiosa della materia, mentalmente molto vicina alla Oliveros o a Niblock da una parte e a Kowald dall’altra.
Myasmo, suo ultimo cd per Setola, la cattura in quattro esibizioni europee tra il 2018 e il 2019, dove si tenta di offrire una prospettiva della propria musica in solo violino acustico: ciò che si percepisce benissimo è che la Zabelka fornisce una personale forma di arte, apparentemente povera, costruita su una relazione fortissima del fraseggio, che deve ricomporre la dinamica del “discorso” umano; ci sono i suoni del violino che catturano la vivacità e l’esuberanza di una dissertazione, la vocalità scomposta e scenica che interpreta e rafforza le specificità del panegirico, c’è lo spazio circostante a cui si tenta di dare un valore secondo le possibilità conosciute nell’improvvisazione libera. Ogni città delle 4 in cui l’austriaca si è esibita (London, Le Havre, Vienna, Tonsberg), fa parte di un puzzle che si compone per ottenere un risultato complessivo: completamenti di tecniche e visuali che ribadiscono un concetto fondamentale e paradossalmente anacronistico in questo momento storico, ossia quello della promozione delle libertà creative come strumento indispensabile di continuazione dei percorsi della musica e di un linguaggio simbolico della vita, attempata o aggressiva che sia. Legno intarsiato, scavi della materia vivente." Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali, 2020.

"(...) Violinista e compositrice di gran talento e raziocinio musicali, Mia Zabelka effettua con “Myasmo” altri passi in avanti nella prassi della solo performance. Quattro tracce dal vivo (estratte da altrettanti concerti europei) ben legate ai presupposti e dettami dell’automatic playing, la peculiare concezione teorico-pratica che la musicista austriaca ha brevettato e poi integrato nel suo ramificato percorso artistico, associato anche a nomi e progetti quali Lydia Lunch, John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Elliott Sharp, Trio Blurb, Electric Indigo, Phill Niblock, Maggie Nicols, Alvin Curran e David Moss.
Rinunciando agli artifizi sia digitali sia elettrici impiegati in prove precedenti (il seminale “M” del 2011 e il brillante “Cellular Resonance” del 2017), Zabelka sollecita in “Myasmo” le infinite potenzialità integralmente acustiche del proprio strumento, intrecciando le sue corde con quelle di una vocalità acrobatica, sperimentalmente ispirata ai picchi e alle forzature di una Maggie Nicols o di una Diamanda Galas.
Sebbene l’automatic playing di cui si diceva sopra privilegi qui il solo aspetto organico (il reale) rispetto a quello sintetico (il virtuale), la libera improvvisazione, che sospinge e irrora ognuna delle quattro esecuzioni, resta pur sempre il prodotto di un’efficace sinergia tra spazio, gesto tecnico e corporeo. Interfaccia tra tutti questi elementi, basilari per Zabelka nel processo della creazione musicale spontanea e istantanea, è ovviamente il violino, adoperato e scandagliato oltre ogni limite.
Pur avendo con l’opera pionieristica di Carlos Zingaro palesi affinità e molti punti di contatto, i monologhi di Zabelka sembrano spesso imboccare strade più impervie nonché fisicamente impegnative. Ne sono la riprova i numerosi intermezzi in cui astratta atonalità e onomatopeica vocalità si fondono dando luogo a “call and response” d’isterica concitazione oppure a fantasiose elucubrazioni intessute su variazioni timbriche e armoniche generate da un uso dell’archetto, del pizzicato e del vibrato di foggia colta e anarchica al tempo stesso. Disco non facile ma ottimo punto di partenza per chi ancora non ha familiarità con il personaggio e desideri scoprirne a ritroso l’affascinante cammino artistico." Olindo Fortino, Sound Contest, 2020.

01 _ London​​ 11:36
02 _ Le Havre​​ 13:35
03 _ Vienna ​​8:47
04 _ Tønsberg ​​18:22

(C) + (P) 2020