MORGEN !

The illuminated manuscripts of Peter Alamire (c.1470-1536) are without doubt one of the richest treasuries of polyphonic music. Not only do they contain works of the most prominent composers of the Renaissance, visually these choir books are absolute masterpieces.

On the basis of this musical heritage Eric Sleichim, along with the saxophones of the BL!NDMAN collective and 12 singers of Collegium Vocale Ghent, conducted by James Wood, explores in MORGEN! the intriguing tension between seemingly disparate musical worlds: original scores go into dialogue with contemporary arrangements.

A world premiere by the Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino (°1947) and the enigmatic double play for two counter tenors and tubax of Eric Sleichim surprise the audience and tend the musical discourse towards confrontation. Sensuous love poetry dissolves in devout Marian worship; voices intertwine with the sounds of copper; particles of electronic sounds vanish into the mystical space. By modulating the setting of musicians and singers and their dialogue with electronics and sound-spacialization the concert turns into a gigantic chess game in which devotion and lament are alternated. Thus the program navigates intentionally unnoticed from the Renaissance to the 21st century and back.