The world premiere of Vers le silence, a new orchestra work by Hans Abrahamsen, will take place January 6, 2022 with the Cleveland Orchestra, under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst.
Vers le silence was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, NTR ZaterdagMatinee and The Royal Danish Orchestra.
Vers le silence was written during the COVID-19 lockdown and is a new milestone among Abrahamsen’s orchestral works. For the first time since Nacht und Trompeten from 1981, Abrahamsen has composed a brand new purely orchestral work, not a concerto for one or more soloists, nor an orchestral work based on previous works.
Vers le silence is the last work in a series of three, following Left, alone for lefthanded piano and orchestra (2015) and Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (2019). After composing for solo instruments, which are dear to him and have a biographic dimension, the perspective has now broadened and is focusing on the orchestra’s span from grand expression to chamberlike.
With four movements, the work is longer than the two previous ones and the format is wider.
– Esben Tange
The European premiere with Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin will take place May 5, 2022. Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will also perform the Austrian premiere in Vienna, May 8, 2022 and the French premiere in Paris, May 14, 2022.
The Danish premiere with The Royal Danish Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Søndergaard, will take place August 20, 2022 in Aalborg.
The Dutch premiere with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, under the direction of Stéphane Denève, will take place October 29, 2022 in Amsterdam.
In the meantime, we can look forward to the world premiere of Four pieces from MOMENTS MUSICAUX by Abrahamsen – a transcription for octet of Franz Schubert’s Moments Musicaux, the same unique orchestration (clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello and double bass) Schubert used for his Octet.
Both will be performed December 19 in Vienna by the Philharmonisches Oktett Berlin.
