Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931)
Revue music for symphony orchestra and jazz band (1976/1995/2002)
Michael Wertmüller (*1966)
Shlimazl for Symphony Orchestra and Big Band (2023) World
Premiere Commissioned by the Basel Sinfonietta and the Ruhrtriennale
With financial support from Pro Helvetia and the Fondation SUISA
Simon Steen-Andersen (*1976)
TRIO for orchestra, big band, choir and video (2019)
Titus Engel, conductor
NDR Bigband
Chorwerk Ruhr
The Basel Sinfonietta opens its first season under its new Principal Conductor Titus Engel with a brilliant performance, together with the NDR Bigband and the Chorwerk Ruhr. The program, with which the orchestra previously presented itself as part of the Ruhrtriennale's major arts festival, features captivating, large-scale music that explores the tension between contemporary classical music and jazz.
Big bands and symphony orchestras are like penguins and polar bears – they never meet. Almost never!
For the Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina, the appeal lies precisely in the strangeness of these two worlds: her ghostly ironic "revue music" is like the view of a Tatar mystic on the aesthetics of Hollywood film music of the 1970s.
Whether Swiss composer and jazz musician Michael Wertmüller is working with a classical ensemble or a big band makes no significant difference to him, as he is rooted in both worlds. In his work for symphony orchestra and big band, commissioned by the Basel Sinfonietta, he brings these worlds together – and proves how complexity and coolness can be effortlessly combined.
The Danish composer Simon Steen-Andersen, closely associated with the Basel Sinfonietta, combines the various ensembles in his "Trio" for symphony orchestra, vocal ensemble, and big band with historical audiovisual material to create a fantastical time machine. He places both contemporary ensembles and those from the SWR archive, which are linked via video, at the service of his exuberant playfulness.
In cooperation with the Ruhrtriennale and NDR.
With financial support from Pro Helvetia and the Fondation SUISA.
World premiere
Program subject to change.
