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Charlotte Seither's Inschrift Debuts with Hertener Kantorei and Dortmund Philharmonic

Mar. 30, 2017

Charlotte Seither's <em>Inschrift</em> Debuts with Hertener Kantorei and Dortmund Philharmonic

On April 30, Elke Cernysev leads the Hertener Kantorei and the Dortmund Philharmonic in the world premiere of Charlotte Steiner’s Inschrift, a new work for choir and orchestra, at the Erlöserkirche church in Herten, Germany. The work, based on J.S. Bach’s cantata Christ lag in Todes Banden BWV 4, was commissioned by the Protestant Church of Westphalia for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. 

Inschrift, scored for the same forces as Bach’s cantata, is a kind of “overpainting” that reinstates elements from the original cantata in combination with Seither’s own settings. Original verses of Martin Luther are relegated to a secondary role, while a parallel, cloud-like, and diffused sound world is created by Seither. In the composer’s own words:

Inschrift sets up multiple divisions of acoustic space in which the foundation is shifted: the presence and absence of Bach’s original, and of the Lutheran verses, become a process of approaching and distancing, of under- and overwriting, thereby creating a space in which diferent layers meet.

Born in 1965 in Landau/Pfalz (Germany), Charlotte Seither is a recipient of the Deutscher Musikautorenpreis (2014) as well as 1st Prize in the Prague Spring International Composition Competition (1995). You can hear a selection of Seither's orchestral and ensemble works below, including her breathtaking large-scale orchestral piece Essay on Shadow and Truth, which was first performed by André de Ridder and the BBC Symphony Orchestra:

For more information on Charlotte Seither, visit baerenreiter.com. 

Charlotte Seither
Inschrift (2016)
a commentary on BWV 4 “Christ lag in Todes Banden”
for choir (SSAATTBB) and orchestra
text (Ger) freely adapted from Martin Luther, Tanja Langer and from the liturgy
2 recorders, trombones and strings (2.2.2.2.1)
15’

Essay on Shadow and Truth (2007)
for orchestra
3(2.afl, 3.pic).2.ca.2.bcl.2.cbsn-4.3.3.1-timp.4perc-hp-str(12.10.8.7.5)
30' 

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