Maximum Expression

​A rich tapestry with pieces in a wide range of instrumentations. The composers on the programme share similar artistic motivations. Sofia Gubaidulina’s religious works angered the Soviet authorities. Shostakovich urged her to continue writing ‘dangerous music'. He, too, composed ‘dangerously’ in the Roaring Twenties, like in his First Piano Trio. Alfred Schnittke found fulfilment in dissident music and dedicated his Hymn II to Gubaidulina.

Arvo Pärt was in the 1960s blacklisted by the Soviet regime because of his religious music. He did not write any new pieces for ten years. He was searching for a new style: maximum expression with minimum means. Fratres is one of the first pieces in which he found his own sound. He was inspired by early music, such as Vivaldi. Mezzo-soprano Georgia Burashko performs Vivaldi’s moving Stabat Mater.

In Stargazer Fish, Nuno Lobo depicts life in the deep sea. He searches for groundbreaking timbres, inspired by George Crumb's Eleven Echoes of Autumn. Both composers share a surreal sound colour palette sometimes on the border between noise and music. Video artist Vincent Rang's installation Monolith visualizes their sonic explorations.