As part of the 8CELLI concert on 19 October 2022 in Aachen, the new work by Tobias Kassung was performed: Suite en quatre mouvements for eight violoncellos. Alongside music by Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff and Piazzolla, the piece was received by the audience with much applause.
The four-movement piece is dedicated in musical images to the current events that are so preoccupying us at the moment and which pose great challenges to our society: Can our value-led democracy stand up to the frightening rise of autocratic regimes?
The music is meant to tell this story but also to convey strength and confidence and to give the opportunity to immerse oneself in expressive, beautiful sounds and melodies. Here you can listen to two movements:
Tobias Kassung: Suite en quatre mouvements: 3rd mouvement "Air":
4th mouvement "Gigue":
Suite en quatre mouvements
A suite from old-new times
for eight violoncellos
1. Ouverture. Carried, mysterious.
Opening - the fat, cowardly king solemnly enters the stage? But no! It is the modern would-be dictator who is quietly creeping into power here. With the same populist phrases over and over again, he insidiously pushes his way onto the stage. The simpler, the more captious, and the further he gets, the more ruthless and loud.
2. Danse des marionettes. Light, with black humour.
The dance of the marionettes. There she is now. The corrupt, mafia-like power clique. Puppets of their own greed. Blinded and eaten up by the preservation of power and the addiction to money and status. They have to wind themselves up again and again, otherwise they will stand still, these puppets. Like vampires, they always need new blood. They exploit everything, people, nature, animals - our world.
3. Air. Always expressive and very vocal.
It does exist! The idea of a better, free life. The ideals. Peaceful, respectful, carefully preserving and kindly promoting. Living in freedom and responsibility. Life can be so beautiful! The Air sings this song.
4. Gigue. Elegant, but with a powerful tone.
Where there is an idea, there is a way. The Gigue dances this idea powerfully. It is a society that has come together. A society that stands up for its ideals with strength and confidence. That discusses, listens and finds better ways together. Just, free, sustainable ways. The better life. It is multi-layered, colourful, free and considerate. The way is the goal - that is our living democracy!
Our sincere thanks go to the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW and the Landesmusikrat NRW, whose funding programmes made this concert and the commission possible.
