Klang (Stockhausen)

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Sound - The 24 hours of the day is the last cycle of works by Karlheinz Stockhausen , which he wrote between 2004 and 2007. He gave the individual pieces the serial numbers 81–101. Due to his death, the cycle remained unfinished, the last three "hours" are missing. The entire first performance of the completed 21 hours of the cycle took place on May 8th and 9th, 2010 at changing venues as part of the Music Triennale Cologne in the form intended by the composer by the musikFabrik , while some of the pieces had already premiered.

Origin and structure

After Stockhausen had completed his opera cycle Light - The Seven Days of the Week , he wanted to musically implement the 24 hours of the day in his composition cycle sound . The Divine Office of the Catholic monasteries served as a model for him . Similar to how the 24 hours of the day are divided into day and night hours, sound also consists of two contrasting sections, with the first twelve hours being more chamber music . The spectrum of the first part includes solo pieces up to the septet, including solo pieces for piano in the third hour. After the fifth hour, trio pieces with a changing line-up predominate . For this purpose, Stockhausen chose titles such as “Beauty”, “Balance”, “Happiness”, “Hope”, “Shine” and “Loyalty”. The twelfth hour serves as a transition to the second part: awakening . The second part of the cycle begins with the 13th hour of Cosmic Pulses , a purely electronic piece made up of 24 layers. For the ensuing solo pieces with electronics, Stockhausen selected three layers of Cosmic Pulses each .

Stockhausen took essential suggestions and several of the titles in the second part from the book Urantia .

Following the composition of the 24 hours of the day, Stockhausen had planned to set the 60 minutes of the hour and the 60 seconds of the minute to music. However, Stockhausen died in 2007 at the age of 79 and had only completed 21 parts of Klang by then. From Stockhausen's posthumous sketchbooks it is not clear how he wanted to realize the missing three hours.

The pieces in detail

1st hour - Ascension

In this piece for organ or synthesizer, soprano and tenor, composed from 2004 to 2005, Stockhausen once again takes up aspects from his opera cycle Licht . The title of the piece was inspired by the premiere on May 5, 2005, one day before the feast of Christ's Ascension , in the Milan Cathedral . Stockhausen characterized the piece as follows: “In the 3rd act of Thursday from Light , premiered in 1981 at the Milan scale , Michael returns to his heavenly residence. [...] Michael hears and sees 7 stages of his earthly life in a ›shadow play‹, and everything is upside down, the bottom is like the top. ”Stockhausen envisages 24 different tempos in the piece in a certain time scale. For the soloist on the organ or synthesizer , the performance is difficult because the left and right hands have to play different tempos. Stockhausen described his intentions as follows: “The standing upside down of time for both hands - actually impossible for us today - and the fixed connection between speed and 'sound color' I composed in the spirit of the Ascension: unimaginable - unheard of - invisible. "

The two vocal soloists ( soprano and tenor ) alternately sing a text by Stockhausen, which ends in a common praise to God: “Our voices // praise you // Creator God Deus”.

The performance of the piece is 37 minutes.

2nd hour - joy

Originally Stockhausen wanted to call the piece for two harps composed in 2005 “Pentecost”, since the two harpists have to sing 24 lines of the Latin Whitsun hymn Veni creator spiritus in addition to their virtuoso solo work . Stockhausen sees these 24 lines of the hymn again in connection with the 24 hours of the day, "so that the› second hour ‹of Klang is like a full day in an hour of the day."

The premiere took place on June 7, 2006, the Tuesday after Pentecost , in the Milan Cathedral. The performance lasts 41 minutes.

3rd hour - natural durations

Natural durations is a cycle of 24 piano pieces that Stockhausen composed between 2005 and 2006. With a performance of around 140 minutes, it is also the most extensive work within Klang . With this less than virtuoso piano cycle, the composer intended, above all, to make the fading of the notes, the echoes and the pianist's breathing noticeable in the score audible. By operating the pedal and electronically amplifying it, Stockhausen intended to create “melodies, harmonies and polyphonic moments as the result of natural durations”.

The world premiere of Piece No. 1 took place on February 23, 2006 in New York; Nos. 2–15 were premiered on July 12, 2006 in Kürten , while No. 16–24 were premiered on July 17, 2007 in Lisbon .

4th hour - Heaven's door

The composition Himmels-Tür for a percussionist and a little girl was created in 2005. In this piece, which is the only one from the Klang cycle to work with pantomime elements, a percussionist knocks with a mallet on a specially constructed double-leaf door, each with six different sounding wooden elements. The drummer knocks on the door in different moods, sometimes cautious, sometimes pleading, sometimes angry, sometimes using his feet as a percussion by stamping on the wooden floor in front of the door. Stockhausen noted 14 different postures, including the fact that he threw himself desperately on the floor. Finally the door opens, the drummer walks through, looks around behind the door and disappears. Suddenly metallic noise booms and an alarm siren howls. Finally a little girl from the audience comes onto the stage and disappears behind the door. Then the noise is gradually faded out and the siren is also silenced.

The world premiere took place on June 13, 2006 at the Rossini Theater ( teatro comunale ) in Lugo , Italy. The performance lasts about 28 minutes.

5th hour - harmonies

The 2006 piece Harmonies is a solo piece for winds that Stockhausen composed for various electronically amplified wind instruments, taking into account the particular characteristics of the instrument. In the original version, he designed the work for bass clarinet , but then also worked it out for flute or trumpet . The piece is based in all versions on five different melody groups with three, four, five, six or seven tones, which, according to Stockhausen, are arranged in "different tempos, rhythms and positions." After a group is played, the tones are transformed into " different register distribution, so that the melody acts like a vibrating chord as harmony. "

According to Stockhausen's instructions, the piece should be played by heart by the soloists. The performance lasts about 15 minutes.

The first performance of the version for bass clarinet took place on July 11, 2007 in Kürten with the soloist Suzanne Stephens , the version for flute was performed by Kathinka Pasveer on July 13, 2007 in Kürten, with the composer taking over the sound direction, the version for trumpet was performed on Premiered August 2, 2008 by Marco Blaauw in London at the BBC Proms .

6th hour - beauty

The 2006 piece Schönheit is a trio for flute, bass clarinet and trumpet. It should be played by heart by the soloists who take up different positions during the performance. In this piece, Stockhausen also suggests uniform clothing for the soloists in the color HKS 51 (a shade of blue tending towards green).

At the beginning of the piece, the soloists say “Praise be to God”. The following composition is performed in 25 different tempos, which should be strictly adhered to: 30 - 40 - 42.5 - 47.5 - 50.5 - 56.5 - 63.5 - 67 - 71 - 75.5 - 80 - 85 - 90 - 107 - 113 - 120 - 127 - 134 - 142 - 150 - 160 - 180 - 190 - 202. According to Stockhausen's performance, this piece can also be performed in larger concert halls .

The world premiere took place on October 5, 2009 in Lisbon with the soloists Kathinka Pasveer (flute), Suzanne Stephens (bass clarinet) and Marco Blaauw (trumpet).

The playing time is about 30 minutes.

7th hour - balance

The composition Balance , composed in 2007, is also a trio, this time with bass clarinet, cor anglais and flute. Stockhausen prescribes the color HKS 54 (color between blue and green) for the clothing of the soloists. If possible, they should play by heart. After entering the stage from different directions, they greet each other briefly before starting the performance. The 25 tempos correspond to the metronome markings in the 6th hour.

One critic described this part of the cycle as a “relaxed, cheerful work of old age that ends in praise of God” “” and is clearly oriented towards a melody, with “ arabesque proliferation” indicating “French sensuality” and “excessive vitality”.

The first performance of the piece took place posthumously on August 22, 2008 in the large broadcasting hall of the WDR in Cologne, on the day on which Stockhausen would have celebrated the completion of his 80th year of life. Performers were Martin Fahlenbock (flute), Jaime Gonzaléz (English horn) and Shizuyo Oka (bass clarinet) from Ensemble recherche .

The playing time is about 30 minutes.

8th hour - happiness

Glück is a woodwind trio for the electronically amplified instruments bassoon , cor anglais and oboe. The piece corresponds to the 6th and 7th hours of sound . The work, composed in 2007, was commissioned for the MusikTriennale 2010 in Cologne. Stockhausen provided clothing in the color HKS 60 (green) for the soloists.

The first performance of the work took place on May 8, 2010 in the studio of the musikFabrik in Mediapark Cologne. Performers were Edurne Santos bassoon, Piet van Bockstal cor anglais and Peter Veale oboe. The sound direction was carried out by Hans-Günther Kasper.

The playing time of the work is about 30 minutes.

9th hour - hope

Hope is Stockhausen's only piece for string trio , consisting of violin , viola and violoncello . The piece, created in 2007, is structured in a similar way to the previous pieces. During the performance, the members of the string trio should change their positions. For this piece, Stockhausen suggested HKS 67 as the color of clothing.

The world premiere took place on August 31, 2008 with members of the musikFabrik Köln, with Juditha Haeberlin (violin), Axel Porath (viola) and Dirk Wietheger (cello). The playing time is about 32 minutes.

10th hour - shine

The 2007 piece Glanz is a septet consisting of the woodwinds oboe , clarinet and bassoon , the brass section trumpet , trombone and tuba , and a viola as the only string instrument .

According to Stockhausen's instructions, the bassoon, viola and clarinet players should stand in the center of the stage and form a large triangle, changing positions according to the five sections of the piece. The trombone, trumpet and oboe, which are inserted, should be blown from the side balconies if possible, while the tuba is played on stage behind the trio. The lighting effects provided by Stockhausen are decisive for this piece: "The players and the hall shine in its mysterious light, which is getting ever more brilliant." HKS 69 (yellow) is used as the color.

The world premiere of Glanz took place on June 19, 2008 in the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam with members of the ASKO ensemble . The playing time is about 42 minutes.

Hour 11 - fidelity

Treue is a wind trio for bass clarinet, small clarinet and basset horn that was created in 2007 . According to Stockhausen's instructions, the soloists should play by heart as much as possible and greet each other briefly before the start of the piece. The intended color is HKS 2 (yellow). The playing time is about 30 minutes.

The world premiere took place on May 8, 2010 as part of the Cologne Music Triennale in the KOMED hall in the Mediapark. The soloists were Petra Stump (bass clarinet), Roberta Gottardi (small clarinet) and Rumi Sota-Klemm (basset horn).

Hour 12 - awakening

The 2007 piece Erwachen for soprano saxophone , trumpet and violoncello forms the end of the first instrumental part of the cycle and is at the same time a transition to the second part, in which electronic music predominates. According to Stockhausen's instructions, the clothing color of the soloists should be HKS 3 (yellow tone).

The world premiere took place on October 13, 2009 in Brussels with the soloists Marcus Weiss (saxophone), Marco Blaauw (trumpet) and Dirk Wietheger (cello). The playing time is about 32 minutes.

13th hour - Cosmic Pulses

The 13th part of the Cosmic Pulses cycle, created in 2006, is pure electronic music that is transmitted over eight pairs of loudspeakers and consists of 24 melodic loops. These in turn are notated in different pitches from 1 to 24. The melodic loops run in 24 different tempos and 24 registers, which cover about seven octaves .

Karlheinz Stockhausen explained the loops and layers as follows:

“The loops are layered one after the other from depth to height and from slowest to fastest speed and then stop one after the other in that order. ... What is completely new for me is the new kind of spatialization: Each section of one of the 24 layers has its own spatial movement between eight loudspeakers, so that I had to compose 241 different spatial paths. ... For the first time I tried a superposition of 24 layers of sound, as if I had the rotations of 24 moons or 24 planets to compose. [...] I don't yet know whether you can hear everything; it depends on how often you experience an 8-channel performance. "

Elsewhere Stockhausen compared this composition, which he understood as a kind of "star system", with the task of "synchronizing 24 planets around a sun with individual rotations, tempos and trajectories."

This work is the key to the second part of the cycle, which is based on different mixtures of layers from Cosmic Pulses .

For playback, an 8-track magnetic tape , 8 × 2 loudspeakers and a mixer for the sound direction are required on technical devices .

The first performance of the work in the mix by Karlheinz Stockhausen took place on May 7, 2007 in the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Sala Sinopoli in Rome .

The playing time is 32 minutes.

Hour 14 - Havona

Havona is a work for a vocal soloist in the bass range and electronic music. The electronic music of the 2007 work, which sounds over loudspeakers, is based on layers 24 - 23 - 22 from Cosmic Pulses . In this work Stockhausen uses a vocal soloist for the first time after Ascension . Stockhausen's text begins with the word “God”, to which his children strive “step by step” from Urantia (the earth). Your way leads over Jerusem in Nebadon , Uversa , the great Orvonton in the center of the Milky Way , then over Edentia and Havona to paradise, where the souls study "cosmic music". In this text the soloist names all the stops along the way that correspond to the subsequent works from the cycle.

The performance lasts 24'10 ”minutes. The world premiere took place on January 10, 2009 in Paris, the soloist was Nicholas Isherwood (bass), and Gérard Pape directed the sound.

Hour 15 - Orvonton

The 2007 Orvonton work for baritone and electronic music is based on layers 21 - 20 - 19 from Cosmic Pulses . Orvonton is considered to be the “seventh superuniverse with the center of the Milky Way system” according to the Urantia book and the sung text.

In this piece, after the title “ Orvonton for baritone” has been mentioned , the vocal soloist first introduces himself again: “Orvonton, I am a baritone”. The following song text consists mainly of explanations and sound direction instructions from Stockhausen, where the singer explains the structure of the work, starting with the components of layer 19 from Cosmic Pulses . “This consists of 23 tones as a sound loop. At the basic tempo of 3.75, each tone lasts 2 seconds, the loop therefore 23 x 2 = 46 seconds.” He then explains that the tempo is controlled by hand in nine sequences and varies with accelerandi and ritardandi becomes. This is followed by further structural explanations and, finally, considerations on music in general.

The performance of the piece is 24 minutes.

The world premiere took place on May 8, 2010 with the soloist Jonathan de la Paz Zaens under the sound direction of Hannah Weirich in the KOMED hall in Cologne's Mediapark .

16th hour - Uversa

The 16th hour from the Klang Uversa cycle, created in 2007, is a piece for basset horn and electronic music, based on layers 18 - 17 - 16 from Cosmic Pulses . Stockhausen wrote explanatory texts for the structure of the piece, which Kathinka Pasveer recorded and added to the electronic music. The first text gives the title of the piece “ Uversa ” followed by a localizing explanation “Center of Orvonton ”.

The performance of the piece is 22'40 ”minutes.

The world premiere took place on May 8, 2010 as part of the overall performance of the cycle at the MusikTriennale Köln with Michele Marelli (basset horn) under the sound direction of Florian Zwißler in the Cologne Cathedral Forum.

Hour 17 - Nebadon

The 2007 composition Nebadon for horn and electronic music is based on layers 15 - 14 - 13 from Cosmic Pulses . As in the 16th lesson Uversa , Stockhausen wrote short texts for the 17th lesson that structure the piece. Kathinka Pasveer recorded these texts and added them to electronic music, examples: " Nebadon - Michael - Eternal Son - Creator Son - Nebadon - in Salvington - Michael - with Gabriel [...]."

The performance of Nebadon is 21'40 ”minutes.

The world premiere took place on May 8, 2010 as part of the overall performance of the cycle at the MusikTriennale Cologne in the Evangelical Christ Church . The soloist at the premiere was Christine Chapman , horn. The sound director was Hannah Weirich.

Hour 18 - Jerusem

The composition Jerusem , created in 2007, is the 18th hour of the Klang cycle . Jerusem is a composition for a vocal soloist in the tenor range , accompanied by electronic music based on layers 12-11-10 from Cosmic Pulses . The short song text begins with the words "Universes of God's Schools". During the performance, the singer repeats the short overall text several times. Jerusem is localized by Stockhausen according to the text of the 14th hour - Havona in Nebadon .

The performance of the piece is 20'40 ”minutes.

The world premiere took place on May 8, 2010 as part of the overall performance of the Klang cycle at the MusikTriennale Köln with tenor Hubert Mayer under the sound direction of Melvyn Poore. The premiere location was the Christ Church (Cologne) .

19th hour - Urantia

The composition Urantia , created in 2007, is the 19th hour of the Klang cycle . Urantia is a work for soprano and electronic music based on layers 9 - 8 - 7 from Cosmic Pulses . The short text reads:

Rotations everywhere
Urantia in the cosmos
Father Son and Holy Spirit
God god god

After the Urantia book and the text of Havona, Urantia is another name for the earth from which people strive step by step to paradise.

The performance of the piece is 19'40 ”minutes.

The first public performance of the recording of the play took place on November 8, 2008 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Center in London . In the pre-produced recording, Kathinka Pasveer took over the soprano role.

20th hour - Edentia

The 20th hour from the Klang Edentia cycle, created in 2007, is a piece for soprano saxophone and electronic music based on layers 6 - 5 - 4 from Cosmic Pulses . For this piece, as in the 16th and 17th hours of the cycle, Stockhausen wrote an outline text for the 24 sections of the work, which Kathinka Pasveer recorded and added to the electronic music. According to this text, Edentia is a constellation in Nebadon with resurrection halls , where (at the same time onomatopoeic commenting) “the heavenly musicians morsen morsen morsen” and “steep glissandi ” play.

According to Stockhausen's cosmological conception, Edentia is the main planet in the constellation Norlatiadek , which in turn is a subsystem of Satania and is localized in the universe Nebadon .

The performance of the work is 18'40 ”minutes.

Edentia was commissioned by the NDR and was premiered on August 6, 2008 as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in cooperation with the NDR concert series in the NDR's Rolf Liebermann studio in Hamburg . The premiere soloist was Marcus Weiss , soprano saxophone.

21st hour - paradise

The 21st hour of the cycle, created in 2007, is entitled Paradies and is a work for flute and electronic music. Paradise is the last work in the cycle that Stockhausen was able to complete. The electronic music is based on layers 3 - 2 - 1 from Cosmic Pulses . As in Edentia and various other pieces in the second part of the cycle, Stockhausen created structural texts for the 24 parts of the work, which Kathinka Pasveer recorded and added to the electronic music. Stockhausen's text is at the same time an analysis that begins with the following words: " Paradise - for flute - and electronic music - 21st hour of sound - three layers of cosmic pulses remixed - in paradise all 24 loops - of cosmic pulses [... ] "

The performance lasts 17 minutes.

The work was commissioned composition of the NDR and was on 24 August 2009 as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in cooperation with the NDR concert series , the new plant in the Hamburg Laeiszhalle premiered. The soloist at the premiere was Kathinka Pasveer . Bryan Wolf directed the sound.

literature

  • Siano, Leopoldo: Karlheinz Stockhausen's last cycle of compositions, Sound. The 24 hours of the day = signals from Cologne. Contributions to the Music of Time Vol. 19, Vienna 2013.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Program of the Cologne Music Triennial ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.musiktriennale.de
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Ilja Stephan: Musical hour prayers. Karlheinz Stockhausen's cycle »Sound - The 24 Hours of the Day« , in: SHMF program from August 24, 2009, without page numbering.
  3. ↑ Louwrens Langevoort: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang May 8 and 9 , April 24 - May 16, 2010, program MusikTriennale Köln.
  4. ↑ Interview with Kathinka Pasveer in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger on April 22, 2010 .
  5. ↑ a b Quote from Stockhausen in: Stefan Fricke: Himmelfahrt (2004–2005) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 14.
  6. ^ Stefan Fricke: Himmelfahrt (2004-2005) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 14.
  7. ^ Quote from Stockhausen in: Stefan Fricke: Freude (2005) , in: program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 15.
  8. ^ Quote from Stockhausen in: Stefan Fricke: Natural durations (2005–2006) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 16.
  9. ↑ Construction of the Himmels-Tür as a percussion instrument with pictures at betsillworkshop
  10. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Himmels-Tür (2005) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 16.
  11. ↑ a b Quote from Stockhausen in: Stefan Fricke: Harmonien (2006) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 17.
  12. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Beauty (2006) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 17.
  13. ^ Stefan Fricke: Balance (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 18.
  14. ^ Stefan Fricke: Glück (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 18.
  15. ^ Stefan Fricke: Hope (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 19.
  16. ↑ Time according to the program MusikTriennale Köln, overview.
  17. ^ Quote Stockhausen, in: Stefan Fricke: Glanz (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 19.
  18. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Treue (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 20.
  19. ^ Stefan Fricke: Awakening (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 20.
  20. ^ Stefan Fricke: Cosmic Pulses (2006) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 20.
  21. ^ Quote from Stockhausen in: Stefan Fricke: Cosmic Pulses (2006) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 20.
  22. ^ Stefan Fricke: Havona (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 21.
  23. ↑ a b Quotes and explanations from Stefan Fricke: Orvonton (2007) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 21.
  24. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Uversa (2007) , in: program notes Karlheinz Stockhausen sound. The 24 hours of the day , p. 24.
  25. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Nebadon (2007) , in: program notes Karlheinz Stockhausen sound. The 24 hours of the day , p. 25.
  26. ↑ Stefan Fricke: Jerusem (2007) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 26.
  27. ^ Quote from Stefan Fricke: Jerusem (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 26.
  28. ↑ Quote and analysis by Stefan Fricke: Edentia (2007) , in: Program booklet Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang. The 24 hours of the day , p. 27.
  29. ^ Analysis and quote from Stefan Fricke: Paradies (2007) , in: Karlheinz Stockhausen Klang program booklet . The 24 hours of the day , p. 28.