Mike Svoboda (*1960)
Die Bücher der Zeiten (2010 rev. 2014)
for three female voices, trombone, and percussion

based on a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843)

Johanna Zimmer, Einat Aronstein, Anne-May Krüger, voices
Mike Svoboda, trombone
Michael Kiedaisch, percussion

Programm note

While still a teenager, Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) wrote the monumental poem Die Bücher der Zeiten, a work related to the Books of Revelation in which mankind's deeds are dramatically enumerated. This work tells of the horrors and wonders of the human race, of the salvation through the spirit, of mankind's achievements and their many rewards. In his composition, Mike Svoboda (*1960) assigns the proclamation of this apocalyptic vision to three female voices, thereby creating a link to mythological figures such as the norns, the visionaries of past, present and future. The composer not only conveys the text's semantic content, but also interprets it on an associative and sounding level. Trombone and percussion contribute to the archaic aspect of both poem and composition.