The polarity between France and Italy runs as a clear thread through the cultural history of the Baroque. François Couperin was one of the rare artists daring to cross these seemingly insurmountable borders – even if it meant disguising his true identity. → continue reading “F Couperin: A (European) Confession”
Tag: oboe
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”
Toshio Hosokawa: This World and the Beyond
“A ritual is meant to allow Claudia to see the soul of her dead child, for she cannot set him free. However, the image disintegrates in her arms. “Let us go home, each to our own home,” she says. To Toshio Hosokawa, nature is reflected in audible symbolic forms. Thus, each tone, each silence holds spiritual evidence.” → continue reading “Toshio Hosokawa: This World and the Beyond”
R Schumann: Op. 94 – A Hidden Sonata? (3/3)
After having seen this cycle for the first time this way, one cannot understand it differently ever again. Schuman brilliantly makes use of the classic sonata form in order to condense proportions and the dramatic structure in a most confined space. → continue reading “R Schumann: Op. 94 – A Hidden Sonata? (3/3)”
R Schumann: Retreat and Revolution (2/3)
Which marks did the experiences of revolution leave on Schumann? In his music, they are contrary to what one would assume. Thereby, the Romances, Op. 94 can be seen in a new and unexpected light. → continue reading “R Schumann: Retreat and Revolution (2/3)”
R Schumann: The Escape (1/3)
Robert Schumann composes the Romances for oboe and piano in 1849, shortly after his escape from the May Uprising in Dresden and during the revolution’s turmoil. How did the family experience these seismic events that should remain formative for his artistic work? → continue reading “R Schumann: The Escape (1/3)”
JC Pez: “Symphonia” – the oldest oboe sonata? (2/2)
Pez’s Sÿmphonia has ties to the past like no other large-scale solo for oboe with continuo. Why is it worth rediscovering today? An expedition making us reminisce about a passed future. → continue reading “JC Pez: “Symphonia” – the oldest oboe sonata? (2/2)”
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)”
Pavel Haas: The Manuscript (2/3)
The manuscript of the Suita is a unique document that is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the piece. It provides important information about it’s history, original conception and possible interpretation. → continue reading “Pavel Haas: The Manuscript (2/3)”
Pavel Haas: My Yearning Keeps Me Awake (1/3)
In case of the Suita op. 17, Pavel Haas leaves us with one us the most puzzling pieces in oboe literature. The more answers it gives, the more questions are posed by it. What remains for us is nothing more than a fragment – yet, just the way Haas revisits the Suita in his last recorded oeuvre proves, which key position it must have had for him. → continue reading “Pavel Haas: My Yearning Keeps Me Awake (1/3)”