infotext:
David Philip Hefti: Rotas · Wunderhorn Music
ROUTES – Concerto for oboe and orchestra
ROTAS, concerto for oboe and orchestra, was commissioned by the Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009 and is dedicated to the soloist Thomas Indermühle, the conductor Rudolf Piehlmayer and the Augsburg Philharmonic.
ROTAS is the last composition of my 5-part SATOR cycle. The five compositions are united by the common sound material, which was derived from the famous SATOR square (sator, arepo, tenet, opera, rotas) and serves as the nucleus for the works, from which all the musical parameters and formal structures develop. The oboe concerto is particularly closely related to the first composition, the clarinet concerto, which spans the entire cycle.
In the three-movement composition, the solo oboe contrasts short phrases, which are played on one breath and thus have a natural length, with overly long sections, which can only be played with circular breathing; A field of tension arises between organically perceived passages and seemingly endless melodies. The fundamentally lyrical oboe part requires many contemporary playing techniques, culminating in the fact that in the second movement only the body (i.e. without reed) is played, then only the reed alone and finally again with the complete oboe. In the last movement - analogous to the clarinet concerto - a particularly attractive variant instrument of the oboe is used: the oboe d'amore. Throughout the composition, both the solo oboe and the orchestra go through a process of dissolution, in which the expression of the music turns inward, so to speak. This is reflected in the change in the instrumentation, in the slowing down of individual movements and especially in the refinement of the harmonies. Thus, in the last movement, the previously used quarter tones are expanded by even smaller micro-intervals in the form of natural tones, which are derived from the overtone spectrum (quarter, sixth and twelfth tones) to create a sublime sonority.
Wunderhorn music – 7 sound patterns for violin and ensemble
Wunderhorn music was written in 2008 on behalf of the ensemble Theater am Gleis (TaG) Winterthur and the Swiss cultural foundation Pro Helvetia and is dedicated to the violinist Rahel Cunz, the ensemble TaG and the conductor Jac van Steen.
The composition Wunderhorn-Musik was inspired by the song collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn, published in 1806 by Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim. The subtitle "7 Klangbilder für Violine und Ensemble" indicates that the text template was not followed in the process of creating this music either pictorially or onomatopoeic. Rather, this composition is a musical setting of impressions that were subjectively evoked when reading the 7 texts. Since the titles of the individual movements stimulate the imagination, it is not necessary to know the lyrics in order to understand this music. The homogeneous grouping of the instruments (e.g. their grouping by register) at the beginning of the composition gradually dissolves. This has i.a. As a result, the violin constantly has to decide between its solo function and equal rights in chamber music. The palette of colors ranges from fragile, finely shaded tones to bulky, unruly blocks of sound. The structural references, the tempo relations and the affinity of motifs combine the 7 movements into a multi-faceted picture.
David Philip Hefti
program:
ROUTES (2009) 27:52
Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra
[01] 1st breathing circle 11:57
[02] 2. Scherzo interrotto 08:11
[03] 3. Farewell 07:28
Thomas Indermuhle, oboe/oboe d'amore
Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Rudolph Piehlmayer, conductor
Wunderhorn music (2008) 31: 56
7 Sound Pictures for Violin and Ensemble
[04] 1. The Miracle Horn 07:19
[05] 2. The Knight and the Maid 04:36
[06] 3. The Truth 02:13
[07] 4. Evening Star 06:51
[08] 5. To a messenger 02:01
[09] 6. The Abominable Wedding 03:59
[10] 7. The Shepherd's Solitude 04:57
Rachel Cunz, violin
Ensemble Theater am Gleis Winterthur
Anna-Katharina Graf, piccolo/flute/alto flute Rico Zela, oboe/English horn
Manfred Spitaler, clarinet, Martin Truninger, bass clarinet, Lorenz Raths, horn
Liisa Tamminen, viola Emanuel Rütsche, cello Josef Gilgenreiner, double bass
Christoph Waltle, percussion Ivan Manzanilla, percussion Simone Keller, piano
Jac van Steen, conductor
total time 59:33
Press:
16.08.2010
David Philip Hefti
Rotas and Wunderhorn Music (Neos)
Hefti, a successful Swiss composer, wrote the fifth part of the Sator cycle as an oboe concerto. He exploits the facets of the instrument in surprising nuances, making it breathe, scream and sing. Embedded in lyrical orchestral sound, an exciting and rewarding listening experience.
Uli von Erlach
14.08.2010
David Philip Hefti: ROTAS & Wunderhorn Music
“David Philip Hefti is only 35 years old – as they say about composers of that age. But he is very productive and a representative of today's generation that is concerned about getting their music out there. There will soon be half a dozen CDs with his music, which is truly impressive. The latest CD now includes an oboe and a violin concerto. These are concerts for solo instrument and orchestra or ensemble using the contemporary playing techniques that new music has brought with it: the oboist, for example, plays the individual parts of the oboe. The oboe concerto has a classical structure, whereas the violin concerto has seven movements and can be described as a loose sequence of pieces, which is also suggested by the subtitle '7 sound images for violin and ensemble'.”
Roland Waechter
05.07.2010
sound magic
They've been around for a long time, composers whose music sounds contemporary and yet doesn't shy away from melodic qualities and euphony. The Swiss David Philip Hefti (35) combines all of this, as recently with a work for the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, in the oboe concerto "Rotas", which excitingly explores a wide range of expression - right up to the polyphonic magic of the oboe (Thomas Indermühle, with the Augsburger Philharmonic). The more fragmented Wunderhorn music (solo violin Rahel Cunz) provides iridescent contrasts.
Urs Mattenberg