Music by Carlo Gesualdo, Francis Poulenc, Ton de Leeuw, Olivier Messiaen and Gerard Beljon.

What meaning does silence have in a time when everything seems to be in motion? And what function does silence have in music? In the run-up to Easter, which has been a period of contemplation and reflection for centuries, Chamber Choir NEXT explores the relationship between music and silence with Silence. From the hushed harmonies of Olivier Messiaen to the contemplative Cinq Hymnes of Ton de Leeuw: Apaise ton âme et contemple cette splendeur en silence – soothe the soul and contemplate this splendor in silence.

This a cappella program, conducted by Fokko Oldenhuis, features composers who, each in their own way, were inspired by silence. For example, Gesualdo and Poulenc wrote their motets on texts for Holy Week, and Messiaen’s O sacrum convivium consists of a silent shift of harmonies. For his Cinq hymns, Ton de Leeuw used texts by Kabir, a 15th-century Indian poet, who calls for meditation and contemplation to make the mystical tangible. The final piece of the program is Gerard Beljon’s impressive Te Deum / Min al Aqmaaq, in which the heartbreaking lamentations of Afghan women under the Taliban regime collide and mix with Gregorian melodies and other Western music.

Programma

Francis Poulenc         Quatre motets pour le temps de pénitence

Olivier Messiaen        O sacrum convivium

Carlo Gesualdo          Vier motetten

Ton de Leeuw            Delen uit Cinq hymnes

Gerard Beljon            Te Deum / Min al Acqmaaq