NEWSLETTER 05/19

Composing has to do with life, says Chilean composer Martín Donoso Vera. In conversation, he is surprised but delighted to be asked about his personal relationship to the piece and is happy to answer.
Normally, people tend to ask about technical aspects: why this harmony, why this rhythm, this structure, this instrumentation? But that's not really important. For him, composing is a very personal quest: "When I compose, I follow a feeling and create a sonic form of expression for it."

On May 2, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra will perform his orchestral work Imaginario Frénetico. In it, Martín explores aspects of madness and allows it to enter into a dialog in various musical guises. Two forces confront each other. The first is fast, neurotic and aggressive, the second slow, melancholic and contemplative. The two forces build up a mutual dependency that can be perceived throughout the entire piece. This energy can be found in many of Martín's works. He seeks this loud, extreme, energetic quality. "At the beginning of the piece, it's a bit like wanting to scream."

Yes, and what does Imaginario Frénetico actually mean? A wild image? An insane imagination, a delirium, a delusion? Even for Martín Donoso, who has lived in Hamburg since 2013, there is no clear answer between the worlds of language. Listen for yourself on May 2 at Apollo and Dionysos in the Forum of the HfMT!

It all started with a project for refugees in City Nord. As part of a guest student program, singer Pia Salome Davila became involved with Syrian musicians and came into contact with traditional Persian and oriental music for the first time, which had a great appeal for her: "On the one hand, it was nice to be able to encounter music in a completely unanalytical way, because it was simply foreign. On the other hand, the music was beguilingly noble, sensual and simple at the same time." It communicated itself to her more directly and triggered a longing for the foreign and vast.

This gave rise to a project idea for which Pia received a grant from the AStA.
The idea was to create encounters between musicians and composers, between Orient and Occident, between tradition and modernity. Syrian and Iranian musicians met with international composers who have currently found their home in Germany. They exchanged ideas, told stories, introduced instruments and music, experimented and thought about how to bring about a fusion of shared experience into something new: Amalgam - the result of the intercultural composition project Amalgam can be heard at the Zinnschmelze on May 16.

From mid-May, Eva Bleckwedel - Professor at the Institute of Music Therapy - will be launching a service at the HfMT that she has long dreamed of and for which she and a number of colleagues have been campaigning for many years: a consultation hour for health issues at the newly established Office for Musicians' Health.
Musicians are exposed to a variety of stress factors, whether physical or psychological: one-sided strain, poor posture, self-doubt, exam anxiety or other things that can quickly lead to serious health problems.

What is very important in such a situation and unfortunately not self-evident:
1) I am not alone
2) You can do something about it

All too often, the topic is taboo and not talked about. But Eva Bleckwedel has found that even a single conversation can be helpful. Talking about it and expressing your concerns is an important first step. Eva Bleckwedel would also like people to be proactive and make it clear to students: "If I take good care of myself, the risk of falling ill is not so great. At the University of the Arts Bremen, she has had many years of good experience with a free counseling service for all university members. The problem areas are as diverse as the people and the possibilities for support.
The newly introduced consultation hour is part of a comprehensive cooperation between the HfMT Hamburg, the University of Music Lübeck and the UKE, following the example of other cities where comparable support services have been established. A team of doctors, psychiatrists and music therapists is available for advice and more in-depth support.

Luise Henriette Catenhusen has been studying recorder at the HfMT with Prof. Peter Holtslag since 2015. She has played in various early music ensembles, including at the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, the MDR Music Summer and the Oude Muziek Utrecht Festival. On May 5, she can be heard in the Florilegium Musica Antiqua series at the main church St. Nikolai am Klosterstern.

She recommends:
Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, the master's examination in church music by Tjark Pinne on May 19 in the church of St. Wilhadi Stade

There are some fellow students who you grow particularly fond of during your studies, some who impress you musically and some who have a great sense of humor. For me, Tjark Pinne fits into all three categories and is therefore a very suitable candidate for this monthly concert recommendation. When Tjark tackles a project, he does so with all his heart and soul, very sound background knowledge, sympathetic patience and a good rehearsal atmosphere.
The colorful oratorio The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar deals with the theme of dying and describes the hour of death of an old man and the journey of his soul to the afterlife (Gerontius: Michel Connaire, tenor; Priest: Konstantin Heintel, bass; Guardian Angel: Marion Eckstein, mezzo-soprano).
Tjark Pinne shares the direction with Hauke Ramm, the church musician at St. Wilhadi in Stade. The Stadtkantorei Stade and the Kammersinfonie Bremen will be performing. The trip to Stade is definitely worthwhile!