Ekstase - World première by SWR Vokalensemble

Von Liebe und Leidenschaft

This programme explores the forces of attraction between two people who fall in love and become utterly captivated by one another, with all the risks and consequences that entails. In Bohuslav Martinů’s madrigals, these themes are presented through the lens of Czech folk poetry. In Olivier Messiaen’s epoch-making a cappella cycle, Tristan and Isolde, Merlin and Viviane, and Duke Bluebeard and Judith appear as emblematic lovers. References to Hieronymus Bosch’s *The Garden of Earthly Delights* and Marc Chagall’s *Song of Songs* cycle evoke inner imagery to accompany them. In her new choral work, Annelies Van Parys follows the surging waves of inner excitement right up to ecstasy. And Kaija Saariaho composes dreamlike sequences of longing, rapprochement, fulfilment and farewell, dedicating this work to her mother.