Holliger: Romancendres, Feuerwerklein, Chaconne & Partita

Featuring

Daniel Haefliger
Gilles Vonsattel
Heinz Holliger

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Compositional Technique

In the "Chaconne," Holliger transcribed the letters of Paul Sacher's name into a continuous string of pitches and converted Sacher's birthday date into rhythms.

Performer Biography

Gilles Vonsattel, the pianist, is an artist of broad repertoire, ranging from J.S. Bach to Xenakis, and has won prestigious awards including an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Naumburg and Geneva competitions.

Performer Biography

Daniel Haefliger, the cellist, has premiered hundreds of works, some dedicated to him, in close collaboration with leading contemporary composers like György Kurtág and Heinz Holliger.

Compositional Technique

In "Romancendres," Holliger uses an alphabet where letters (like 'cinders', 'fire') and numbers (like birth/death dates of Robert, Clara, and Brahms) translate into musical pitches and durations.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Heinz Holliger, the composer, is a fervent admirer of Robert Schumann, which inspired him to compose "Romancendres" after Clara Schumann burned her husband's cello romances.

Composition History

The "Partita" for piano solo, composed at the end of the millennium, is dedicated to pianist András Schiff, with its entire structure determined by his personality, interpretative style, life, and biographical dates.

Composition History

The "Chaconne" for solo cello was composed in 1975 as part of a project initiated by Heinz Holliger to honor Paul Sacher's 70th birthday, with contributions from 12 composers.