A rising, catchy, and hopeful line, but at the same time it's a singing that melts with the calm light of the moon, sad and beautiful
(French lyrics taken from a poem by Paul Verlaine).
This is one of my favourites in the concerts with the ensemble. I wrote some arrangements, partly also commissioned.
Studio recording | 2022 – The Lyhrus Ensemble
Live in Berlin | 2024 – The Lyhrus Ensemble
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A love song that we have performed in every concert since I wrote it in 2018.
Studio recording (1st verse) | 2018 – The Lyhrus Ensemble
Live in Berlin (3rd verse) | 2024 – The Lyhrus Ensemble
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It's extremely fun to let the choir (the larger the better) walk into (or leave) the concert hall while singing the vivid first and third part – we often did this with several choirs (I wrote different arrangements for four part choirs, six part choirs, for female choir ... and it even works without piano). On contrary, the second part (a cappella) is kind of a dark heart in the center of the piece, there's a longing in it, a touch of goodbye.
In fact, I wrote The passage when my parents left their home to move to a senior's pen and my siblings and me assembled for a last time in their home to distribute the little 'heirlooms' that were still left. We felt sadness, but more love, happiness, and a spirit of departure – all at the same time.
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Choral music in general needs to be sung in perfect tune. This applies in particular for some of my new isorhythmic motets which I call Triadic Chants. As singing them in tune takes time and some practices (which we not had since I finished the compositions) I decided to record the scores using several choir libraries in my studio.
Not ours is one of my favourite Triadic Chants I composed for Vigilia, the kick-off project launched by Cantus Academy.
Though the topic of the lyrics may be rather serious, I love the music as I think there is actually some hope and warmth in it.
Cantus Academy was founded by Nils Jensen (conductor) and me to establish a new way of choral singing. More information on cantus.academy.
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The Clara Schumann Frauenchor Berlin commissioned a work for female choir to perform it on the Deutsche Chorfest 2025 in Nuremberg. The leader, Sandra Lugbull-Krien, asked me for a vivid song, but I asked her instead, if I could offer her something rather contemplative. Kindly enough, she accepted and in the end, her's and the choir's grateful reaction on Hora matutina was a great joy for me as I love this piece of music as well as the lyrics (I never wrote something in Latin before) very much.
Studio recording | 2022 – The Lyhrus Ensemble
Trailer Cantus Academy | 2025 – Demo (from a version for mixed choir)
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Like all Triadic Chants, Lacrimosa is a music to be sung in large reverberating venues. There is a little moment of pause in every bar to let silence shine through, to let us listen to the spatial reflections. Therefore, the answer of the space around us becomes part of the composition.
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