Cantatrix Sopranica
Cantatrix Sopranica is a composition for two sopranos, a countertenor and ensemble by Unsuk Chin . It was premiered on May 18, 2005 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London by Piia Komsi, Anu Komsi, Andrew Watts and the London Sinfonietta under the direction of George Benjamin . The clients of this piece include new music ensembles such as the London Sinfonietta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Group , musikFabrik , the Ensemble InterContemporain and the St.Pölten Festival .
The title refers to the 1974 fictional treatise Das Soprano-Project. De Iaculatione Tomatonis (in cantatricem) by Georges Perec , which is a parody of scientific treatises. In this nonsense treatise, "one hundred and seven female sopranos (of the genus" Cantatrix Sopranica L. ") are pelted with rotten tomatoes with ostensibly scientific seriousness, in order to obtain information about the" tomatotopic organizational pattern "of sopranos based on their" screeching reactions "." (Andreas Günther)
Unsuk Chin only takes over the title from Perec . In addition, Cantatrix Sopranica is influenced by Perec's language experiments and those of other oulipists . Chin also ties in with her earlier vocal works such as Akrostichon-Wortspiel , Alice in Wunderland , Kalá and Miroirs des temps , in which acrostics , anagrams and palindromes are used as a textual basis and as a compositional means.
As the title suggests, the piece is highly self-referential ; Chin describes the work as "an exploration of the singing act" . The vocal exercises of the singers and the tuning of the instruments are discussed as well as performance situations and personal tics; Different styles of singing - from Bel Canto to Chinese folk music to New Music - are thwarted; the singers have to imitate inexperienced singers or animal voices. "In the last movement the singers and instrumentalists swap roles; the singers 'play' on their voices and the musicians 'sing' on their instruments." (Unsuk Chin) The work also contains clear theatrical elements, some of which are clearly composed, but some are left to the choice of the interpreters.
The texts come from Harry Mathews , Li Bai , Arno Holz and the composer himself. Harry Mathews' poem is a boule de neige , a "snowball-like text that grows continuously from a small," proto-semantic "cell that grows like a chameleon its meaning varies " (Chin). This principle is also implemented in the composition. Li Bai's poem is set to music parodically in 'Yue Guang - Clair de lune', for example in that the text is gradually transformed into senseless pseudo-Chinese; a modified text by Arno Holz translated into Italian becomes the basis for a parody of Italian opera. The other texts are of a non-semantic nature and reflect the compositional structures. In some texts "the texts describe what is happening musically, for example in 'Cis n'est pas Ces', a game with the Enharmonie" . (Andreas Günther)
Press reviews
" Cantatrix Sopranica will surely give Chin's fame as one of the most imaginative representatives of a new music that is at the same time colorful, witty and substantial ... From the first number, a capricious-original, light-hearted, melodious gloss about the attunement and Howl, to the last, treating the voices as both instruments and dramatic characters, the work is pure delight. "(Keith Potter, The Independent , May 20, 2005)
" Anyone with a new music phobia will recover with Ms. Chin. She has found an individual style that always puts a wink on the staff ... nothing sounds fat or overflowing, rather silky and light ... Certainly you don't need introverted artists, but rather action-loving artists who are unabashedly even in the extreme situations of these theatrical treasures. The ladies and gentlemen Komsi and Cordier were excellent and endowed with the gift of totally serious self-irony, even the instrumentalists of the music factory were masterful of their craft often time for a smile. Hardly a detailed work of New Music came to an end shorter than this. Strongest applause. "(Wolfram Goertz, Rheinische Post, May 24, 2005)