It is a song which awakens piles of sound
– under this headline, FIGURA and our much lauded singer Helene Gjerris take you to the realm of love and longing in three original works – from the Song of Solomon via Danish poetry to hypermodern German Romanticism.
Composers have sought to express love and longing in their music more often than any other emotions. In tonight's concert, the FIGURA Ensemble with special guests offer three very different ways of looking at these emotions.
“The Song of Solomon” from The Old Testament is one the most erotic texts in world literature. The rich description of sensual love and yearning for the beloved in the “Song of Solomon” inspired the Danish-German composer Matthias Ronnefeld to write“Sieben Lieder nach dem Hohelied Salomos” – seven short, expressive tone paintings by the unusually talented young composer. Matthias Ronnefeld started composing at the age of 12 and as a young adult he was the pupil of Ligeti and Per Nørgård a.o. In 1986 he took his own life at the age of 27. In later years, Matthias Ronnefeld's music has experienced a renaissance – and lately one of the world's leading pianists, Leif Ove Andsnes, has included Ronnefeld's piano works in his repertoire.
The words “It is a song which awakens piles of sound,” are from a poem by the masterful Danish poet Peter Laugesen from the collection “Frø og stængler” (“Seeds and stems”, 1988). Steingrimur Rohloff, a composer regularly affiliated with FIGURA, has set three of Laugesen's poems to music. “Still Not / Not Yet” is the name of his song cycle which expresses the longing for the unknown and the love of the poetry inherent in everything. In a simple way, the Danish-German-Icelandic Rohloff let the words refer to the music – they do not tell a story separate from the music, but tell us what happens in the music at that very moment. Music and texts reflect each other and complement each other.
Longing as a feeling of isolation and loneliness are at work in Jörg Widmann's Octet. Jörg Widmann is one of the most outstanding German composers of his generation, his works being performed by the leading orchestras and ensembles of Germany. His Octet takes Schubert's Octet in F Major as its starting point and can be seen as a tribute to Schubert, but it also alludes to the work that was Schubert's source of inspiration, the Septet of Beethoven. Widmann plays with the relationship of each instrument to the others, and the work that inspired him is palbably present. But if the music at one instant sounds strangely familiar, the next instant it takes a sudden and unexpected turn.
This concert is supported by the Danish Conductors Association and Solistforeningen of 1921 and was first played at The Athelas New Music Festival 2011
FIGURA ENSEMBLE
Casper Schreiber – conductor
Helene Gjerris – mezzo-soprano
Eva Østergaard – flute
Anna Klett – clarinet
Marie Bessesen – bass clarinet
Etienne Boudreault – bassoon
Einar Øhman – horn
Emily Fowler, Kjell Tomter – violins
Asbjørn Nørgaard – viola
Carl-Oscar Østerlind – cello
Jesper Egelund – double bass
Frans Hansen – percussion
Program
MATTHIAS RONNEFELD (1959-1986): “Sieben Lieder nach dem Hohelied Salomos” for mezzo-soprano and ensemble (1981)
1. Ich schlafe, aber mein Herz wacht
2. Erquicket mich mit Blumen
3. Sage mir an, du, den meine Seele liebet
4. Wie schon und wie lieblich bist du
5. Ich will aufsteh'n und in der Stadt umhergehen
6. Dein Schoss ist wie ein runder Becher
7. O dass du mir gleich einem Bruder warest
STEINGRIMUR ROHLOFF (b. 1971): “Still Not/Not Yet” for mezzo-soprano and ensemble (2010)
JÖRG WIDMANN (b. 1973): Octet (2004)