Piet Swerts new oratorio: Heilige Seelenlust

[pjme]

Tomorrow Belgian composer (°1960) Piet Swerts will co-conduct the premiere of his oratorio "Heilige Seelenlust" .
It's a setting of the Song of songs (fragments) and a few poems by the 17th century German/Polish (Silesian) mystic writer Angelus Silesius ( Heinrich Scheffler) - a priest/scientist/poet born in Wroclaw/Breslau.

The work ( ca 60 minutes) was commissioned by the Lemmens institute in Louvain and will be performed by the school's own forces : two stringorchestra's, a windgroup ( clarinets, saxophones,horn,three flutes),two pianos, two harps, two alto recorders. Soprano and tenor soloists, male chorus, female chorus, children's chorus.

The work had a fairly long gestation ( more than two years) and required extensive litterary studies. Angelus Silesius' poems are in German , so Swerts decided to choose a German ( Lutheran) translation of the "Hohes Lied" ( Song of songs).
Simultaniously with the composition, Swerts worked on his doctorate ( Imitatio et aemulatio : the L'homme armé-tradition today and in the past as source of inspiration for a new vocal music, a renaissance of polyphony?) and this is clearly reflected in the oratorio.
The entire work is based on modality and polyphonic techniques, but within a contemporary setting.

I'll keep you informed. Swerts is a musical chameleon - now writing easy,tonal pieces for children and flashy scores for brassband, then composing ambitious symphonies ( symphony nr 2,the vocal "Morgenrot") or operas ( Les liaisons dangereuses)....

I'll keep you informed.
Peter

[Maciek]

Very interesting. And his thesis looks interesting too.

[pjme]

I'm back from Louvain (Leuven).

An inspiring evening!
Swerts "Heilige Seelenlust" is a well crafted, deeply felt work...but failed to convince me. I'm not a trained musician, so I cannot comment on the many technical ( canons, rythmical & harmonical subtleties...the effect of numerology etc) intricacies.
Apart from two or three very fast movements, the composition moves often in great waves of euphonious polyphony ( with strings). The soprano and tenor soloists have both extensive solos and duetts - accompanied by two harps and two alto recorders. Two pianos and a windensemble ( 3 flutes, 1 horn, 5 clarinets (including the huge contrabasclarinet!), 4 saxophones( including baritone) add punch and drive - hovering between Kurt Weill and Philip Glass....The use of drones is effective.
Still, the oratorio seemed just too sweet for my taste....but I realise that one hearing ( a premiere performance ) isn't enough.

The dedication of the students' orchestras and choruses was superb. Ann de Renais( she sings with the new swingle Singers) and tenor Jan Caals are well known professionals. Edmond Saveniers conducted.
Tomorrow a second performance follows. No recording or transmission.

P.