von taufedern und sternen

instrumentation

Soprano, Glass Harmonica and Orchestra

duration

10:30

premiere

New York, June 1, 2019
The Orchestra of the League of Composers
Heather Buck, Soprano
Friedrich Heinrich Kern
Louis Karchin, Conductor
Miller Theatre at Columbia University

notes on the composition

A short meditation on the poem Von Taufedern und Sternen

Life is a journey and the soul is a bird. We set off to new shores and leave the old behind. But the past remains and shapes our view of the present and the future. Who are we, where are we from, and where are we going? Opposites, syntheses, and the unbearable lightness of being. Questions emerge on the horizon. Answers floating in clouds, or hiding in a shaded corner. Do we really want to know? Sometimes there is no way around it.

Experiencing the sensation of being carried aloft, even without our own feathers. To be loved without condition. The realization that relying on others is an experience of helplessness at first; this makes us anxious. But it is a necessary vulnerable Dasein, to free yourself, to grieve, to have good cheer, to cry and laugh. Life is a journey and the soul is a bird — a bird whose song can fill our hearts.

Joerg Martin Hartmann

other works for

soprano
glass harmonica
orchestra