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Biography |
 Christoph
Haas (*1953)is a percussionist, vocalist and composer from Germany. "One of the most creative percussionists in the
country." In 1967 he started with the Drum Set, playing Rock, Jazz and Avantgarde music. By the end of the 70's he began researching the roots of sound and rhythm. His research has led him to Mediterranian countries, West Africa (1987/88) South America (1991, 1992/93, 1997) and Southern India (1998/1999 and 2002/2003). He has studied with
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| His performance is distinguished by its
richness in pulsing rhythms and overtones - sophisticated but always
flowing naturally. He creates contemporary music
with ancient roots - multifaceted, pulsing, rich in overtones. His great
sensitivity to the different qualities of sound and his love of
experimentation, reflected in his willingness to cross musical borders,
spring from his occidental roots. His highly dynamic and impulsive way of
playing stems from his extensive interaction with non-European musical
traditions. Christoph Haas has been performing internationally since 1986
in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France,
Croatia etc. "Christoph Haas is the
cosmopolitan, worldly-wise master of rhythm. He is familiar with rhythm
cultures from Latin America to India. Well-acquainted with the harmonics
of antiquity and with the "ordo": number, in which cosmic dimensions are
mirrored. He is aware of the relationships between architecture and music,
between space and sound. And he is a composer and percussionist who can
merge the complexities of rhythm and sound to form a harmonic entity.
Highly intelligent, and yet always rooted in the magic and ritual source
of rhythm and sound. The psalterium, long-necked lutes and frame drums are
his favourite instruments. His compositions for the "Ensemble Cosmedin"
open up spaces - a window to transcendence. They establish the unity of
past and present, reflectively, encouragingly. They are full of joy, of
clarity and inner dancing. Music, which does not make a statement, but
which is all-meaningful. Heaven and earth. Man and mystery. Abundance and
stillness." "One of the most outstanding percussionists, a first class musician." (Bernd Krause, Stuttgarter Zeitung) Aside from his work on stage Christoph Haas loves to share his experiences with the "world language rhythm" in workshops. In his international classes he is blending the ancient knowlegde of tribal cultures with contemporary methods of "body learning". |
| "Christoph Haas ้ um apaixonado pelo ritmo. Esse encanto se expresa efetivamente no carinho que nutre pelo samba. Sua musicalidade e swing surpreende at้ mesmo os brasileiros." Backstage, Rio de Janeiro |
| "Christoph Haas doesn't seize upon the superficial, fashionable appeal of the exoticness of archaic instruments, rather he listens to the sound of their souls. It is remarkable with what sensitivity and dexterity Haas is able to seamlessly shift between the different shades of sound. The true attraction of this multicultural journey comes from the rapturous overtones of this music. The room is filled with a humming and singing of the finest vibrations. Overtones are always there, whether Haas nimbly plays the gong or drum or whether he draws buzzing sounds from the berimbao." (Badische Zeitung) |
| "Rhythm is a kind of world formula. A language common to all people. Christoph Haas proves that. His inspiration comes from the Arabic world, Africa, India and South America. Using these sources, he improvises, he dances, he sings. He makes it seem as if the drum were breathing, as if the drum were singing on its own. He plays clearly and with great feeling. One feels a ritual power, rich in simplicity, with an original, vital brilliance. In his performances, there is a gradual increase in intensity which leads to something like a poetic trance. It bewitches us and wakens our senses. It breathes nature and has stimulating side effects: the erotic elements of the drum are not left out. He is the smiling and knowing shaman, who sometimes holds the drum in front of his face like a mask through whom the ancestors of the world speak to us. The frame drum has great richness in Christoph Haas' hands. He achieves this both through his rhythmical virtuosity and intensity, and also through the amazing fullness of sound that reaches from fine "points" to overtone chords. When a snare is added, it achieves the archaism of a gong." (Hansdieter Werner, Reutlinger Generalanzeiger) |
| "Christoph Haas, the personified union of radically different sounds and musical cultures, transforms space and time with drum, musical bow, gong and voice. He creates sounds of great depth and bewitches his audience with musical transformations that imperceptibly slide into each other." (Leonberger Kreiszeitung) |
| "Sounds of timeless force. Christoph Haas, or, how a percussionist listens to infinity. Not least, a master of silence. At the same time, Haas' appearance is modest: he appears natural, unassuming, without any affectation. The effects are contagious: he offers transcendence, letting go and concentration as alternatives to the overwhelming influence of modern hectic activity." (Schorndorfer Zeitung) |
| "An intense and fascinating listening experience as well as an encounter with an exceptional musician. Christoph Haas is a master of improvisation as well as a virtuoso interpreter of these ancient cult instruments. The spell conveyed by these simple yet incredibly nuanced percussion instruments enchants the many spellbound listeners. A superior performance that the audience listened to breathlessly, only to honor Christoph Haas with jubilant applause." (Marbacher Zeitung) |
| "Sensitivity and competence characterize these poetic musical worlds, that lead to meditation and encourage the listeners to open themselves to transcendence." (Pforzheimer Zeitung) |
| "Gentle sounds fascinated the listeners and instilled them with inner peacefulness: composure and devotion to a faraway world of sound." (Murrhardter Zeitung) |
| "One of the most creative percussionists in the country." (Lift) |
| "Percussionist Christoph Haas takes his audience on an enchanting journey into faraway worlds of sound. He not only plays his instruments, he plays with them. The performance was amazingly coherent in spite of the continuous change of instruments." (Schwarzwaelder Bote) |
| "Christoph Haas plays virtuoso
sequences with matchless dexterity. His hands appear to barely touch the
drumhead. In his percussive melodic playing of the musical bow, gentle
overtones unfold in the concentrated silence of the room. It is always his
entire body, the round movements, that meet and unite in his rhythms."
(Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung) |