Chansons

Rosenzeit

A song cycle on centuries-old texts – astonishingly immediate.

I composed these songs with great care and set them for voice and piano. It was important to me to create a musical framework that offers guidance while leaving room for the personality of the performers.

Tempo, dynamics and expression are therefore to be understood as suggestions for musical shaping. They may be interpreted individually within the character of each song. The composition itself and its musical substance remain the foundation.

For a song does not live by its notes alone. It always comes into being through the voice, the sound, the articulation and the personality of the people who perform it. In this way the same piece can feel new and immediate time and again – without losing its identity.

A great deal of detailed work has also gone into the piano accompaniments. Every note was placed deliberately. At the same time, I have written the parts so that they can feel familiar both to classically trained pianists and to musicians with a background in chanson, jazz or figured bass.

In most of the songs the harmonies are indicated. They can serve as a guide in shaping the music. At the centre, however, there always remain the text, melody and character of each song.

“Rosenzeit” (Time of Roses) can be performed acoustically or with a microphone. Each option opens up a different sound space and thus a different kind of interpretation. A chanson or jazz singer may prefer the intimacy of the microphone, while a classically trained singer may choose the acoustic version.

The scoring, too, leaves room for different voices: I originally composed the songs for a female singer, but most of the pieces can equally be performed by a male singer.

The song cycle “Rosenzeit” lasts about 90 minutes. In the printed edition the songs are arranged in the corresponding order.