Roman Haubenstock-Ramati

Concert music for solo harp: The harp, whose ancestor belongs to the most ancient musical instruments, is usually associated with impressionistic sound. But Roman Haubenstock-Ramati - the most visionary inventor of sounds among contemporary composers, according to Wilhelm Sinkovicz – has never been satisfied with the status quo. So, while teaching composition and investigating new forms of musical notation, he succeeded in his endeavor to explore new possibilities of musical expression again and again over the course of several decades. His bipartite cycle for harp entitled Cathédrale reflects the intimate connection between archaic instrumental artistry and cutting-edge musical developments. His Cathédrale II, which is derived from and immediately succeeds Cathédrale I, is among the most exciting accomplishments in the field of pre-recorded music. 15 pre-recorded harp parts together with the harp on stage generate 52 different structures, which serve as musical bricks in the construction of a “magical sonic space in which echoes evoke an incomparably somnambulistic atmosphere” (Sinkovicz). An extraordinary listening experience!