ConcertPulse
SWR Symphonieorchester / Florian Hölscher / Christoph Sietzen / Emilio Pomàrico
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
The semblance of a world premiere: The SWR Symphonieorchester under the baton of Emilio Pomàrico together with pianist Florian Hölscher launches the new piano concerto by Alberto Posadas – you can hear this work in Hamburg shortly after its premiere in Madrid. The Spanish composer draws his musical material from the physical and sensory capabilities of the instruments themselves – as does Johannes Maria Staud, whose percussion concerto can be experienced as a rhythmical counterpoint in the second half of the programme. It is a special concern of the Austrian composer to establish the drum as the equivalent tool of the sound paintbox: »It is my objective to give real meaning to this toolkit in the 21st century and to complete a lot of works for it.« No sooner said than done! Sometimes, you hear it with saxophone and wind ensemble, sometimes with choir and string quartet – with orchestra for the first time in »Whereas the Reality Trembles«, which was premiered in 2023 by Luxemburg percussionist Christoph Sietzen. For the title, Staud was inspired by a line by the American poet William Carlos Williams, which hits precisely what he expects from a percussion concerto: »Williams often speaks about reality being a little dazzling; his work is very obsessed with the space between the sensations.«
