Them and us?

Looking eastward, abysses open up. The world is out of joint, even in our own neighborhood: in Central and Eastern Europe. A war is raging in Ukraine, holding the world in suspense. A new Iron Curtain divides Europe. What are the consequences, and how does it affect us? At the season's opening, the four world premieres not only pose questions but also offer perspectives: creatively diverse and discursive.

Yurii Pikush is from Ukraine, Sergej Newski, a Russian living in Germany, Aleksandra Słyż is Polish, and Stefan Keller is Swiss. Mezzo-soprano Christina Daletska, born in Ukraine and now living in Switzerland, serves as their ambassador. What unites them all is a critical stance. Newski, for example, has been criticizing Russian politics for many years – including in newspaper articles.

His new work, "Goddess of History," for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, is based on a text by the Lithuanian Thomas Venclova. "Hail, forgotten goddess of history, / with your retinue of rocket casings and dead warriors," the words begin. In "Domi Res Militaris," however, Pikush asks how much responsibility the individual bears in "domestic military affairs.".

With "Suspended in Ratios," Słyż presents an electroacoustic drone composition to explore the relationship between intonation and microtonality. In contrast, Keller, in "Ein sichere Hafen" (A Safe Haven) for mezzo-soprano, speaker, and orchestra, based on words by Melinda Nadj Abonji and Iryna Shuvalova, poses the Swiss-tinged question of how much neutrality one can and should allow oneself in times of crisis and war.