Mosaici Bizantini performed in Altenberg, Germany

The Orchesterverein Hilgen (OVH) is a widely respected and popular wind orchestra that has made symphonic wind music the focus of its work. The traditional Advent concert is regularly well attended, and the music selected is played at a very high level. The large interior of the Altenberg Cathedral is particularly suitable for concert performances, as the reverberation in the church lasts almost ten seconds. The numerous audience was able to experience this on 26^th November in the afternoon.

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The Orchesterverein  saved the musical highlight for the official end of the afternoon: “Mosaici Bizantini”, a three-movement piece by composer Franco Cesarini, who was born in Bellinzona, Switzerland, in 1961 and who is regarded as a master of instrumentation. The musical material is formed by Gregorian chants and their sequences, while the work is thematically inspired by Byzantine mosaics that can be found in churches in Venice and Palermo and depict three passages from the Gospel of Matthew. The calm and flowing, chorale-like first movement deals with the birth of Jesus. The use of tubular bells at the beginning and at the end of the movement is particularly striking. The second movement has a strong character, because it is about Jesus driving “merchants and buyers” out of the temple. Consequently, some sections of this movement are almost violent. The finale begins with the tubas playing sinister tones as if from the darkness of the grave. But it is not long before the angels and the light of resurrection become audible through brighter instruments. The final theme of the movement is calm and triumphant, increasing dynamically until the full power of the approximately 70 musicians is reached and erupts in a radiant and powerful orchestral tutti. Long-lasting applause and standing ovations rewarded the musicians, who still felt like an encore.

The Conductor

Timor Oliver Chadik has been director of the Orchesterverein Hilgen since 2014. Born in Bangkok in 1976, the conductor and trombonist has a full time job as conductor of the Big Band of the German Armed Forces.

(Source: Remscheider General-Anzeiger)