Commission to Helena Winkelman

Basel, mountains and Brazil. Helena Winkelman is composing a new work for the Kammerorchester Basel entitled Summer Heat. In her new work, the composer recalls the Kammerorchester Basel’s trip to Brazil and thus combines the Swiss with the South American world, salsa with the cowbell (really!) and melancholy with virtuoso brilliance.

“Summer Heat builds a bridge between two cultures that could hardly be more different. The opening movement – The Healer/A curandeira – is a tribute to the natural healers, of whom there are many in South America. But I also met some of them in the Swiss Alps. The latter are portrayed in the piece in the glassy resonances of massive overtone structures, those of the jungle in minimalist, repetitive percussion and wind patterns. In the second movement, Big Mama, there are faint memories of João Gilberto’s songs and their melancholy spirit. The last movement is a tribute to the extraverted rhythm and dance culture of the South American host. For this reason, a dialog with two traditional Brazilian percussionists is created – the two percussionists of the Kammerorchester Basel offer the traditional cowbells of Brazilian salsas with real Swiss cowbells. It is a muscular, rhythmically virtuosic final piece that will give the Kammerorchester Basel plenty of opportunity to show off its brilliance and agility.”

The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is supporting the commission to Helena Winkelman.

Further information:
kammerorchesterbasel.ch

Dates

September 27, 2024
Stadtcasino, Basel

October 5, 2024
Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

October 6, 7, 8 & 10, 2024
Teatro Cultura Artística, São Paulo