Commission to Annette Schlünz

‘New’ and ‘Early’ music not only share a systematic conceptualisation and a niche existence in comparison to the classical-romantic repertoire, but also a number of other characteristics: Freedom and diversity of form, existential rootedness in the independent scene, a high degree of identification with the works by both musicians and audiences – but also the reputation of difficult aesthetic and emotional accessibility for the ‘uninitiated’.

In 2024, the Heinrich Schütz Musikfest is awarding a commission to Annette Schlünz, made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, in the context of its programmatic focus on female musicians of the 17th century and their ‘heirs’ in the present day. The artistic and conceptual aim of the established early music festival is to contextualise selected works from the collection Symphoniae Sacrae III by the Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz, published in 1650, with Annette Schlünz’s contemporary music for a present-day audience, both aesthetically and in terms of content. The result is a full-length, complete concert programme that brings the sonic realisation of existential themes from the 17th century closer to the sensory and associative world of the present.

For Schlünz, the structural principles of Heinrich Schütz’s music and the emotional-thematic ramifications of the biblical texts on which the Symphoniae Sacrae III are based are anchor points for the conception of the work. The transitions between the text-music levels between Early and New Music as ‘hinges’ between past and present become central creative moments. The ‘music of transition’ is thus continued as a constant in Schlünz’s work. For the commissioned work, Schlünz draws on the original instrumentation of Symphoniae Sacrae III and adds percussion (2 violins, 2 viole da gamba, 2 cornetts, 3 trombones, dulcian, violone, lute, organ, percussion). The vocal part is performed by soloists.

Further information:
schuetz-musikfest.de

Dates

October 4, 2024
St. Marienkirche, Weißenfels

October 5, 2024
St. Johanniskirche, Gera

October 6, 2024
Dreikönigskirche, Dresden