From the Netherlands, Daniel Reuss brings fantastically beautiful choral cycles by Robert Heppener to the SWR Vokalensemble: “Nachklänge” (1977) for four choral groups transforms texts by Paul Celan into a game between call and echo. A musical space of reflection in which the text fragments float through the room like vague memories. 20 years later, “Im Gestein” was created. Again, texts by Paul Celan. This time nature poems with images and metaphors from the mountain world: rock, chalk, limestone, scree, eye-exchange, wing-night, moon-mirror … the individual words themselves are like compositions. Robert Heppener leaves the poems their space and shape and surrounds them with associative or auratic soundscapes for choir and strings. Additionally, a world premiere: Stefan Keller has chosen a text by Georg Trakl, “Offenbarung und Untergang”. The choir becomes the mouthpiece for a dream narrative about a spiritual and (nightmarish) borderline experience.

Program:
Robert Heppener – Im Gestein (In the Rocks) for choir, string quintet, and percussion
Stefan Keller – Offenbarung und Untergang (Revelation and Doom) (commissioned by the SWR, world premiere)
Johannes Brahms – Warum ist das licht gegeben (Why is light given), Op. 74 No. 1
Robert Heppener – Nachklänge (Echoes)