Jonathan Harvey: Glasgow Trilogy, Alban Berg: Violin Concerto

WDR Sinfonierorchester Köln opens this concert at Jahrhunderthalle Bochum under the baton of Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov with a composition of classical modernism: Alban Berg’s compositional virtuosity and expressivity Violin Concerto Dem Andenken eines Engels (1935).  Alina Ibramigova, who performed last year as a guest in the series Konzerte im Maschinenhaus , will be the evening’s soloist.

In the second half of the concert, the one-hour Glasgow Trilogy by British composer Jonathan Harvey will receive its first German performance. The composer died in 2012, the internationally prizewinning movements of this tragedy have only been heard separately in Germany until now. Body Mandala (2006) is based on ritual Tibetan music and moves from immense orchestral eruptions to sonic transparency. Speakings (2008) uses live electronics to combine language and music, while Towards a Pure Land (2005) describes a musical journey in two levels, in that an orchestra plays around and covers the barely audible chords of an invisible string ensemble. The Buddhist concept of the purification of the body, language, and the spirit forms the background of the trilogy as a whole.

Alban Berg
Violinkonzert ›Dem Andenken eines Engels‹ (1935)

Jonathan Harvey - Glasgow Trilogy
Body Mandala (2006)
Speakings (2008)
... towards a Pure Land (2005)