for ensemble (Soprano solo, Soprano, Alto, Tenore, Organ Positive (Melodica), Violin I, Violin II, Viola, and G‑Violone)

blumen

2022

Blumen is a work for nine performers. The central part is a solo soprano line, with the rest of the ensemble acting and perceived not as accompaniment but as stems on which the flower grows. Their role is to support or to be around the voice, sometimes reflecting it, with the acoustics of the church naturally carrying and softening the connections.

The piece, based on an italian poem, is formed in verses. The first, third, and fifth verses belong to the soprano solo either with the ensemble or, as in the beginning, only with the “air” irritation by the other vocalists — a song-like thread sung by the fantastic Pia Davila. The second, fourth, and sixth verses are interruptions: points where the flow changes direction and the logic of the piece turns toward something more finite or maybe even fatalistic. This piece was written directly during the first months of a full-scale invasion of my country into a neighboring Ukraine, and it has been the most difficult writing period, as it seemed almost impossible to get out of the shock.

The original madrigal O Primavera gioventù de l’anno by Heinrich Schütz was not used; all material is newly composed. The work began as a solo piece with less than half a minute of full ensemble writing, but during the process it grew into something wider.

Festival für Alte Musik Knechtsteden ©