NDR Chor / Phillip Ahmann
»Greatest Hits« / Festival for Contemporary Music
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Start 18:30
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End ca. 19:30
Description
The Argentine-German composer Mauricio Kagel was one of the most original figures in the world of contemporary music. He saw music not simply as a sequence of notes, but as a drama expressed in music; but this didn’t stop him poking gleeful fun at all the fuss that the music scene sometimes makes about itself. Thus the very first-ever edition of »Greatest Hits« opened with his piece for a group of singing cyclists! Kagel’s great admiration for old masters like Johann Sebastian Bach is evident in clever adaptations, e.g. in his »Chorbuch«, where Bach chorales are defamiliarised in surreal fashion using new harmonies and various vocal effects. Philipp Ahmann, conductor of the NDR Chor, has prepared an intelligent programme that juxtaposes the Bach originals with Kagel’s versions. The high point of the concert is the composition »Burleske«, set for the odd combination of baritone saxophone and choir.
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.
Performers
NDR Vokalensemble
Adrian Tully baritone saxophone
Sebastian Breuing piano, positive organ
director Philipp Ahmann
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach
Choräle für gemischten Chor a capella (Auswahl)
Mauricio Kagel
Chorbuch (Auszüge) / für Tasteninstrumente und Kammerchor
Burleske für Baritonsaxofon und gemischten Chor
Promoter: HamburgMusik / Kampnagel Internationale Kulturfabrik / NDR
