Sharing the year of birth 1952, Wolfgang Rihm and Kaija Saariaho went down in history as some of the most influential composers of new music. The artists, who passed away one and two years ago respectively, were united by their boldness in shaping their individual compositional languages, drawing on different conventions, and their search for new sonic possibilities for the human voice. Tonight, their figures will be recalled by the musicians of the NFM Choir, led by Lionel Sow, accompanied by the distinguished French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marc. The musical reminiscence will be enriched by the performance of Inner World by Carl Vine, who comes from Australia, presenting a synthesis of the warm timbre of the cello with electronics.

In addition to the luminous vocal parts, the cello will also play a significant role in each of the scores of the three pieces we will hear during the concert. Its subtle, gradually emerging sounds will begin the performance of Wolfgang Rihm’s Astralis. The composer intended the work, created over twenty years ago, for an unusual line-up: choir,  cello and timpani. It captivates with its meditative character, which Rihm achieved mainly through slowly interpenetrating, yet incredibly saturated sound planes. Yet the essence of the piece lies in its time, as Rihm was supposed to have indicated in his suggestions that Astralis should be performed as slowly as possible. In result, the composition lasts as if in suspension, contemplating the idea that ​​the German poet Novalis contained in his poem of the same title: “space and time no longer order the world”.

At a similar time, Kaija Saariaho, probably the most famous contemporary Finnish composer, wrote a work whose framework was the poems of the German poet and precursor of Romanticism, Friedrich Hölderlin. Saariaho saw in them the potential of focusing on visions of priceless moments of everyday life that pass in the blink of an eye. In Saariaho’s interpretation, it is these bright, sensual moments that give it meaning and create the reality in which we exist. The sound layer of the work has been enriched with the sounds of birds or wind, as well as other sounds that put us in mind of nature. The composition also has a deep personal dimension, as Saariaho dedicated it to her mother, who died shortly after completing work on Tag des Jahrs. Inner World by Carl Vine is a tribute to the great Australian cellist David Pereira. In the piece for amplified cello accompanied by electronics, the author draws attention to the relationship between the musician and his instrument, comparing them to a craftsman who carefully creates individual sounds or specific harmonies. Fascinated by this symbiosis, Vine created an expressive work with a strong character, using the diverse sound spectrum of the cello, with no lack of atmospheric, lyrical fragments.