Commissions to Georges Aperghis & KP Werani

am Sommer erstickt is a concert scene for Geneviève Strosser in which the interpreter combines music and poetry. The project draws a line between the new composition am Sommer erstickt by KP Werani, based on a poem by Nancy Hünger, a new text by Georges Aperghis, and the music of Salvatore Sciarrino and Iannis Xenakis. The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is making the commissions to KP Werani and Georges Aperghis possible.

am Sommer erstickt will be premiered in April 2026 at the schwere reiter concert venue in Munich. The concert dramaturgy is characterised by an original concept. am Sommer erstickt brings music and language into an exciting dialogue, combining sound and language poetry in this cross-genre programme. The solo evening will also be performed in France, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Soloist Geneviève Strosser is present on stage playing, singing and reciting. The presence of the protagonist in different characters and poetic physicalities addresses the audience in a variety of ways. The powerful beauty of the music by Iannis Xenakis and the shimmering textures of Salvatore Sciarrino lead into the musical world of the evening. The poem by Nancy Hünger inspired Georges Aperghis to write his new text. Aperghis’ specific form of musical poetics forms a hinge between text and music. KP Werani transforms lyric poetry into musical poetics in his new work am Sommer erstickt, which also gives the evening its name. The tension of the poem’s lyrical first-person narrator is expressed in the soloist’s musical activity, which includes playing instruments, using her voice and singing. An extended digital playback is composed from recordings of Geneviève Strosser’s voice and played live at defined points in time. The lighting and spatial design of the stage by Geneviève Strosser and KP Werani also realises the poetic movement of am Sommer erstickt in a visual dimension for the audience.

Further information:
schwerereiter.de

Date

April 18, 2026
schwere reiter, Munich