Sonic Morphology – Perspectives on Contemporary German Music from Within and Without

Violinist Alwyn Tomas Westbrooke and pianist Michiko Saiki (Duo Tesserae) present a program that brings rarely heard voices from eastern Germany into dialogue with international contemporaries. The concert features Rebecca Saunders’ Duo (1996/99), Thuon Burtevitz’s Rabba in Sard… (2004, rev. 2015), Wilfried Krätzschmar’s Neun Späte Bagatellen (2009), and Eric Wubbels’ the children of fire come looking for fire (2012).

By juxtaposing the finely wrought, if contrasting, sound worlds of Burtevitz and Krätzschmar with the visceral intensity of Saunders and the intricate rhythmic architecture of Wubbels, Duo Tesserae highlights the breadth of contemporary music today. The program not only raises the profile of underrepresented East German composers, but also reflects Germany’s role as a focal point for new music, as exemplified by Saunders’ Berlin-based career and Wubbels’ recipt of the 2023 Ernst von Siemens Composers' Prize.

This meeting of German traditions and international perspectives invites audiences into a landscape of striking contrasts and resonances — a vibrant encounter with the aesthetic diversity of today’s music. Precision, clarity, and color — hallmarks of Duo Tesserae’s playing — shape the concert’s approach, creating a vibrant encounter between different compositional voices and traditions.

Program:

Thuon Burtevitz Rabba in Sard… via Violin and prepared Piano (2004 rev. 2015) 15’

Wilfried Krätzschmar Neun Späte Bagatellen ("bagatelles sur le tard“) for Violin and Piano (2009) 15’

Rebecca Saunders Duo (1996/99) 12’

Eric Wubbels the children of fire come looking for fire (2012) 25’

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