THE VOLCANO SYMPHONY

ERNST REIJSEGER

• FORMA ANTIQVA, AARÓN ZAPICO, EUGENIA BOIX | SILVIA MÁRQUEZ, organ

• WINTER & WINTER 2016 | 910 240-2

The composer and cellist Ernst Reijseger presents his first symphonic poem, The Volcano Symphony, written for the Spanish baroque orchestra Forma Antiqva, directed by Aarón Zapico.

Fascinated by the unstoppable power of flowing lava, hell, the explosion of elemental forces and the creation of new, vigorous life, Reijseger describes magma and its effects: this mass of molten rock that rises from the bowels of the earth, erupts, destroys, fertilises and heralds the birth of new life.

The soprano Eugenia Boix gives voice to Pelé, the goddess of volcanoes in Hawaiian belief.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

Part XI

Premiere Recording

"Als Menschen rationale Erklärungen für Elementarkräfte noch fehlten, erfanden sie personifizierte Mythen. Auf die polynesische Göttin Pele bezieht sich der niederländische Cellist und Komponist Ernst Reijseger im Sujet seiner «Volcano Symphonie», die er als Klangdrama fürs Barockensemble Forma Antiqva inszeniert hat. Ihre Doppelidentität (Zerstörung und Fruchtbarkeit) ist in ätherisch-wortlosem Sopran von Eugenia Boix und stetem instrumentalen Spannungsverhältnis präsent, das Ernst Reijseger gemäss der unorthodoxen Besetzung wie Orgelregister arrangiert hat. […] Grandios." "Despite the jeremiads that bedevil the classical recording industry, many labels still have enterprising recording programs – and not just reheatings of well-worn repertoire pieces. Here, for instance, is an opportunity to discover a composer and a piece most listeners will not have heard of. I have to say that I did not find the music distinctive or individual, but it is certainly given the best possible advocacy here. And if you’re more persuadable, you may find this an interesting issue. Composer and cellist Ernst Reijseger presents his first symphonic poem, The Volcano Symphony."

SOUNDS OF MAGMA

Dutch Composer and cellist Ernst Reijseger presents his first symphonic poem, The Volcano Symphony, written for the Spanish Baroque orchestra Forma Antiqva conducted by Aarón Zapico.

It is unlike that Antonio Vivaldi only wished to describe the course of the year in his Le Quattro Stagioni, or that Richard Strauss only had the intention of illustration the mountain hike of his youth in Eine Alpensinfonie. Instead, both works focus also on phases and narrations on human life. Ernst Reijseger is fascinated by the unstoppable power of flowing lava, the inferno, the quiet sea of hell, the explosion of elemental forces, and the creation of new, vigorous life.

On the one hand Reijseger describes magma and its effects, this mass of molten rocks streaming out of the opening in the earth, breaking out, destroying, fertilising, and introducing the birth of new life. On the other hand The Volcano Symphony tells of death, love and life. Soprano Eugenia Boix embodies the voice of Pele, the goddess of the volcanoes according to Hawaiian belief. We experience a completely new sound language from a Baroque orchestra: Reijseger's composition transforms its fascinating powers of narration into an event.

Stefan Winter