Commission to David Philip Hefti

For the 2026 LiedBasel Festival, David Philip Hefti is composing a lied cycle for voice and piano based on texts by Dragica Rajčić. The world premiere of the work will take place on May 30, 2026, as part of the festival at the Basel Music and Culture Center. The performers for the world premiere are British baritone Jonathan McGovern, one of the most distinguished lieder singers of his generation, and pianist Judit Polgar, who has made a name for herself internationally as a lieder pianist, particularly in the field of contemporary music.

The work will have a duration of 15–20 minutes and will be created in close collaboration with the performers. Inspired by the festival’s annual theme Alles nur geklaut, David Philip Hefti chose poems from the collection Halbgedichte einer Gastfrau by Dragica Rajčić as the literary basis; her texts powerfully explore themes such as language, migration, and identity. In this collection, the multi-award-winning Croatian-Swiss author writes in a style that intentionally evokes the language of guest workers and defies conventional rules. This artistic fusion of word and music enables the composer to engage in a contemporary, multi-layered exploration of socially relevant issues.

David Philip Hefti writes: “The cycle is not intended as a mere sequence of songs, but as a dramaturgically conceived whole in which the poems, with their linguistic and sonic distinctiveness, open up an overarching field of tension. My goal is not simply to mirror or illustrate the text, but to create an independent musical counterpart. The music accompanies the text at times in a supportive manner, at times questioningly, and at times in opposition. Text and music do not merge, but enter into a constant dialogue that also includes conflicts.”

The commission to David Philip Hefti is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further information:
liedbasel.ch

Date

May 30, 2026
Don Bosco Music and Culture Center, Basel