The renowned Polish composer Ryszard Gabryś is a professor at the Academy of Music in Katowice and the University of Silesia in Cieszyn, as well as director of the Institute for Music Education, which he founded. He is also the author of numerous musicological and journalistic texts, as well as music series for Polish radio and television. In his new work “Leverkühns letzter Sprechgesang” for baritone and four instruments (world premiere), Gabryś refers to the charismatic figure of Adrian Leverkühn from Thomas Mann's novel “Doctor Faustus,” a fictional biography of a composer inspired by contemporary artistic personalities such as Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg, and Alban Berg. The title of the new work contains a further reference to Schönberg, the “inventor” of sprechgesang.
Gabryś’ son Aleksander has been a double bass player with the Ensemble Phoenix since 2001 and has been active as a composer for many years. The Ensemble has commissioned him to write a piece. He writes about his planned work: “Rio, mein Rio” is a musical journey—a tribute to the forces that fuel my musical imagination. At its heart is the double bass—my Leviathan, my companion since my youth, both unruly and familiar. It is also a thank you to my Ensemble Phoenix Basel, with whom I have been associated for a quarter of a century and who invited me to write this opus. Like little Mio in Astrid Lindgren's 1954 story, this piece leaves the familiar behind and enters another world—carried by fusion reminiscences, microtonal scales, and chamber music dialogues.
In his work “Dispersion” for qānūn and ensemble, Iranian composer Arash Yazdani uses texts from Iranian poetry, Martin Luther, and Laozi. These texts are sources of inspiration for the qānūn player, who interprets them on his instrument. The soloist is supposed to meditate on these verses and apply their rhythm and intonation to the musical lines. Some melodic figures are taken from the traditional repertoire of Iranian music (Radif). The ensemble forms a continuous flow of melodic lines and harmonic structures consisting of pulsating beats and combination tones.
Tickets are CHF 5-35.

Website
garedunord.ch/en/calendar/3004/lever-kuhn-en

Where
Gare du Nord
Schwarzwaldallee 200
4058 Basel

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