divisio spiralis: solistenensemble Kaleidoskop plays Catherine Lamb

Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop transforms Catherine Lamb's string quartet cycle Divisio Spiralis into a spatial sound installation. Three quartets are distributed throughout the space, allowing the audience to move freely between them. Lamb's precise microtonality unfolds in a spiral over the course of an hour, permeating crystalline and pulsating soundscapes and making the space itself an instrument.

Divisio Spiralis revolves around the relationship between sound, perception, and space — around the subtle transitions between tone and silence, light and shadow, presence and transformation. Lamb's music arises from an intensive exploration of microtonal systems and just intonation. Her compositions unfold as open soundscapes in which harmonic structures slowly shift and overlap, and new acoustic phenomena such as difference and combination tones become audible.

Based on mathematical and natural acoustic principles, she develops radically decelerated soundscapes that unfold continuously and profoundly transform the perception of listening. Her music demands patience, presence, and openness —while simultaneously creating an atmosphere of rare poetic density. Lamb's compositional thinking is grounded in an integral understanding of space, time, and interaction.

With her cycle Divisio Spiralis, she has created a work that deconstructs the classical form of the string quartet and reimagines it as an evolving harmonic field. Originally composed for the JACK Quartet, the work is among Lamb's key compositions of recent years. Lamb employs microtonal tunings based on the overtone series of a 10 Hz fundamental tone, which slowly spiral downwards.

To mark its 20th anniversary in 2026, the Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop presents new projects that consistently continue its collaborative approach and reflect the ensemble's artistic development. These projects showcase the central themes of Kaleidoskop's practice since its inception: its long-standing engagement with various forms of music theatre, chamber music research, and transdisciplinary collaborations. Together, they form a triptych that clearly illustrates both the ensemble's roots and its current orientation and future openness.

Funded by LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin.
Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop is funded institutionally by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.

Arrangör: solistenensemble