Duo Mader/Papandreopoulos (Dutch Classical talent tour 2019/2020) performs four world premiers at Gaudeamus Muziekweek in their theatrical concert ‘Der Sandmann’, from Nachtstucke by E. T. A. Hoffmann, with live visuals by Fly Theater. Next to new pieces by Nuno Lobo, Judith Varga and Gerald Resch, Bianca Bongers wrote her new piece ‘Bis die Sonne aufgeht…’ for alto saxophone & piano. She tells about it:

“The story Die Jesuiturkirche in G. from Nachtsücke by E. T. A. Hoffmann, had my interest from the start. It describes how the I-figure goes out for a midnight walk after a heavy thunderstorm, when he suddenly sees light shining out of the church. He goes inside and sees a painter still at work! The painter uses a net, that creates a shadow grid on the wall, in order to reproduce an image in the correct proportions. Hoffmann describes the church in such detail and completely architecturally correct, which made it even possible to track down de location*. Also, the way he describes the techniques of painting, the shadow play, the complex character of the painter, the setting deep in the night… This combination of science and mystery forms a strong whole. Everything lies on the balance between ‘measured’ and the spontaneity of life, as he calls it: ‘the divine spark of creation’. Myself, I’m not thinking in that hierarchy at all, if it’s in your character to create, you create. If it turns out to be fantastic, then it is! I think it has to do with focus, to really be open to create something that lies in your own personal imagination. However, back to science for a moment. Science doesn’t feel fixed to me, but is just so inspiring. There is room to ask questions and answer them. For me that is, for example: how to accomplish musical perspective? This question, which is central to my work, easily relates to Die Jesuiterkirche in G., in which the effect of depth and proportions are all discussed from a painters’ perspective. To my surprise, this story was sometimes seen more as ‘artistic statement’, less as high literature such as Der Sandmann. However, the knowledge of craftsmanship and his great enthusiasm for it, really appealed to me. There are some beautiful sayings in the story. For example, “How delightful is the rule!”, “The convenience of the form”, or “He boldly drew his lines, never wrong, always pure and right.” And how, after a long night of work, alongside frustrations and discussions, by sunrise the painter finally finishes his painting in deep silence, and says: “…and yet, those are my happiest hours.”

*The church still exists in Glogów, Poland, where Hoffmann even was active as a painter for two years.”