Lutz-Werner Hesse

When, in the summer of 1992, Lutz-Werner Hesse visited St. Francis’s hometown in Umbria, he was deeply moved by Giotto’s frescos in the Basilica. Using prints of the frescos, Hesse later developed a dramatic sequence, which was meant to serve as the basis for a composition revolving around the life of the saint. Gongs had always held a special fascination for Hesse. So, for this piece, he pitted 13 gongs against one organ: “The organ, I thought, is a particularly suitable partner for the gongs since they behave so very differently, as far as their sound is concerned, despite their shared cultic background,” Hesse said. His only concern was with the musical and dramatic but not with religious aspects of St. Francis’s life in his portrayal based on the rich imagery of Giotto’s work. The different ways in which the gongs are deployed in this piece helps to create the impression of an extremely open space. Quiet and almost meditative passages slowly fading away alternate with quick, harsh, and highly charged sections – just in keeping with the underlying images, all of which are reprinted in the accompanying booklet to the present CD.  Join Ruth Forsbach and Uwe Fischer-Rosier on this gripping and sound-intensive journey through the life of St. Francis!