G Silvestrini: Dream Visions

The Six Études by French composer Gilles Silvestrini are probably the most frequently played pieces for oboe that were written in the last thirty years – this is no surprise as they were pushing the boundaries, putting new demands both in instrumental technique and musical expression. I met the composer in Paris to better understand his approach to composing and to talk about his music, in particular the Études Pittoresques composed in 2013. → continue reading “G Silvestrini: Dream Visions”

Duduk: Trauma and Dream

“Who is nowadays still talking about the extermination of the Armenians?” Not until June 2016 did the German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) categorise the massacres of Armenians, which were committed by the former Ottoman Empire, as a genocide – roughly one hundred years later. In order to express the emotional turmoil of the Armenian people and the their will to survive, Erkoreka transfers the tension between melody and drone to a single solo instrument. → continue reading “Duduk: Trauma and Dream”

JC Pez: A New Instrument Demands New Music (1/2)

Pez’s Sÿmphonia exemplarily represents the era from 1680 to 1710: It is probably the oldest sonata manuscript indicating the oboe as the solo instrument, but still an arrangement of a violin version. During these early years, the hautbois from Versailles became a European phenomenon and conquered the music of its time, which, today, awaits its rediscovery. A short introduction to our repertoire of this era. → continue reading “JC Pez: A New Instrument Demands New Music (1/2)”

Pavel Haas: Songs from Theresienstadt (3/3)

Theresienstadt 1944: This is where Pavel Haas composes the Four Songs on Chinese Poetry, which is a surreal song cycle on the unfulfilled longing for a return home – and directly refers to the Suita op. 17. It remains the composer’s last surviving piece. Here, under even more menacing circumstances, does he follow these ideas that have remained incomplete five years ago through? → continue reading “Pavel Haas: Songs from Theresienstadt (3/3)”