György Ligeti: Lux aeterna | SWR Vokalensemble & Yuval Weinberg, Trondheim Voices, Bloch/Mehner

One of György Ligeti’s most famous works, Lux aeterna, will be on the program of the commemorative concert marking his 100th birthday on May 28th, 2023. Three versions of the piece will be performed. First, the SWR Vokalensemble, conducted by Yuval Weinberg, will sing the original version of the choral work. Then the Trondheim Voices, accompanied by Ståle Storløkken’s live electronic music will present a real-time interpretation of the piece. Finally, following the remix, there will be a program performed by the duo Bloch/Mehner (Annie Bloch, playing the church organ, and Raissa Mehner on electric guitar) inspired by György Ligeti called ‘Organum Electricum’. The improv concert themed on Ligeti’s Lux aeterna will take place at the 2023 Moers Festival at the Evangelische Stadtkirche Moers, in Germany.

Lux aeterna gained wide-wide recognition through its part in the soundtrack to the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, producer and director Stanley Kubrick had violated copyright law by not having obtained a license from Ligeti to use the choral piece. For his part, György Ligeti (1923-2006) revolutionized choir music with his 1966 vocal composition using 16 voices. For the first time, a choral work was composed such that it was based on independently moving fields of sound, as opposed to utilizing traditional voice groups and a transparent polyphony. This reflects Ligeti’s focus: for him, creating tonal states was more important than creating events. Using so-called microtonality, Ligeti wanted to create an unlimited musical soundstage.

The text of the innovative choral work Lux aeterna originates from the closing prayer of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass: Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. (May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with thy Saints in eternity, for thou art merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them.) Ligeti concludes the request that eternal light may shine upon the dead by adding seven bars of silence at the end of the score.

Austro-Hungarian György Ligeti (1923-2006) is one of the most significant composers of the second half of the 20th century and is renowned for his contemporary classical music. His works are characterized by innovative compositional techniques and still command great influence today.

The SWR Vokalensemble is one of the highest-rated choirs, characterized by its singers’ particular vocal and stylistic flexibility. Its repertoire consists of challenging choral pieces from the Romantic and Classical Modern eras. In addition to these, contemporary music also plays a special role for the SWR Vokalensemble, as is shown by the numerous premieres that the choir has led in the almost 75 years since it was founded. Since 2020, Israeli Yuval Weinberg has been the SWR Vokalensemble’s principal conductor.

Founded in 2001, the Trondheim Voices is a Norwegian vocal ensemble known for its improvised performances. Their singing allows them to create unique sound art. Versatility plays a strong role in their style, as though they are on a permanent journey of discovery.

(00:00) Intro
(05:08) György Ligeti, Lux aeterna, SWR VOKALENSEMBLE
(17:17) Lux aeterna, Remix, TRONDHEIM VOICES
(52:40) BREAK
(1:05:08) Annie Bloch, Gateway, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:11:45) Annie Bloch, Passing Through, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:18:02) Raissa Mehner, Skew Bridge, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:27:15) Raissa Mehner, ABER, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:36:00) Raissa Mehner, Kanon, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:44:29) Annie Bloch, End to End, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:50:16) Annie Bloch & Raissa Mehner, Stations, BLOCH/MEHNER
(1:56:16) Johnny Marr & Morrissey, Asleep, BLOCH/MEHNER

Musicians:

SWR VOKALENSEMBLE:
SOPRANO: Barbara van den Boom, Kirsten Drope, Wakako Nakaso, Eva-Maria Schappé, Dorothea Winkel, Johanna Zimmer, Michelle Ryan, Aya Tsujimoto, Dorothea Jakob, Sophie Harr
ALTO: Sabine Czinczel, Stefanie Gläser-Blumenschein, Judith Hilger, Ulrike Koch, Wiebke Wighardt, Filippa Möres-Busch, Sandra Stahlheber
TENOR: Frank Bossert, Johannes Kaleschke, Christopher Kaplan, Rüdiger Linn, Julius Pfeifer, Alexander Yudenkov, Daniel Schmid, Steffen Kruse
BASS: Georg Gädker, Bernhard Hartmann, Florian Kontschak, Torsten Müller, Philip Niederberger, Mikhail Nikiforov, Mikhail Shashkov
DIRECTION: Yuval Weinberg

TRONDHEIM VOICES:
VOCALS: Sissel Vera Pettersen, Tone Åse, Natali Abrahamsen Garner, Heidi Skjerve, Anita Kaasbøll, Kari Eskild Havenstrøm, Siri Gjære, Torunn Sævik, Ingrid Lode
LIVE ELEC: Ståle Storløkken

BLOCH/MEHNER
CHURCH ORGAN: Annie Bloch
GUITAR: Raissa Mehner

© 2023 Moers Kultur GmbH / Deutsche Welle

Thumbnail: © SWR, Klaus Mellenthin

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