Quatre chants / ensemble aisthesis
»Greatest Hits« / Festival for Contemporary Music
»Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil«, composer Gérard Grisey’s final and retrospectively one of his most important works, marks the conclusion of this year’s »Greatest Hits« festival. The four songs centre on the theme of »last things« from the perspective of different civilizations and reflect the inapplicability of death. In this emotional work, Grisey has set inscriptions from Egyptian sarcophagi and lines from ancient Greek poems to music. The fourth song is a tranquil lullaby that, according to Grisey, »is not intended for falling asleep, but for the awakening of a humanity that is finally freed from its nightmare«.
From 1 to 4 November, the »Greatest Hits« festival presents contemporary music at Kampnagel and the Elbphilharmonie. The focus this year is on the composers Gérard Grisey und Harry Partch. The latter was a contemporary of Arnold Schönberg and Aaron Copland; in the desert near San Diego Parch developed his own tuning system with home-made instruments which feature in many of the festival concerts.
Renovation Work in Recital Hall Foyer: The Recital Hall Foyer is currently not accessible owing to renovation work currently being carried out. A cloakroom for guests will be provided on the Plaza in close vicinity to the entrance of the Recital Hall. Some intermission refreshments will also be on offer on the Plaza. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Performers
ensemble aisthesis ensemble
Sophia Burgos soprano
conductor Walter Nußbaum
Programme
Gérard Grisey
Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil
Festival
Greatest Hits