Instrumental

PORTA PACIS – Friedenstor

A composition for the Handglockenchor Hannover (handbell choir), alphorn and French horn, with Arkady Shilkloper and the Horn Orchestra of Russia.

Harmonies, melodies and rhythms arise from the interplay of many bell ringers – not from ringing alone, but from the way the bells are held, struck and damped. In this way nuanced tone colours and rhythms take shape, from a delicate chime to a surging sea of bell tones.

The horns unfold an archaic power and resonance: from the post horn through the signal and hunting horns to the alphorn – the latter appearing as a modern, improvising instrument in a jazz-inflected context and complementing the whole horn orchestra with its powerful sound.

This mighty world of bells and horns inspired Peter Schindler to write “PORTA PACIS – Friedenstor”, a composition that can be experienced as a journey to the gate of peace, in which rhythmic power, tone colours and musical gestures merge.