Spectra - 20 years for the record

SPECTRA Music by F. Neyrinck, A. Van Parys, J.-L. Fafchamps, F. RathĂŠ, D. Janssens, L. Brewaeys

FUGA LIBERA

20 years for the record

SPECTRA

20 YEARS – FOR THE RECORD

01 02 03

04

2

05 06 07

Frederik Neyrinck (°1985) Echo de Maeterlinck (2011)

4’59

Annelies Van Parys (°1975) Memories of an Index (2012)

12’02

Jean-Luc Fafchamps (°1960) Lettre Soufie: Sh(în) (2009)

11’38

Filip Rathé (°1966) Avec Diamants Extrêmes (2010) I. Qui pleure là Avec Diamants Extrêmes (2010) VII. Si proche de moi-même

3’39

Daan Janssens (°1983) (étude scénographique) (2008)

7’03

Luc Brewaeys (°1959) Cardhu (2008)

Total time 55’35

3’01

13’13

SPECTRA: Jan Vercruysse (flutes; 1-7), Kris Deprey (clarinets; 1-7), Luc Van Loo (piano; 1-7), Frank Van Eycken (percussion; 1-7), Pieter Jansen (violin; 1-5, 7), Bram Bossier (viola; 1-7), Peter Devos (cello; 1,2,6) / Jan Sciffer (cello; 3-5, 7) With: Charlotte Riedijk (mezzosoprano; 2,6), Alex Van Aeken (horn; 2), Roel Smedts (trombone; 7) and Bjorn Denys (percussion; 2) Conducted by Filip Rathé Many thanks to Radio Klara

3

Birgit Van Cleemput (producer), Johan Favoreel (musical director) en Harry De Winde (recording technician)

Concert recording at ‘Muziekcentrum De Bijloke’ October 25th, 2013

© Karin Borghouts

4

Live concert ‘20 years; for the record’ - October 25th, 2013

SPECTRA was founded in 1993 and consists of a core of eight inspired musicians who have been intensively working together for over two decades, thus creating a unique sound and musical coherence. Focusing on music from the last decade, SPECTRA contributes impassionedly to the promotion of contemporary composers working and living in Flanders; both on the national and international music scene.

SPECTRA creates many commissions in continuous dialogue with referential pieces, using a wide variety of presentational forms such as concerts, happenings, musical theatre and multi-media events. Its undogmatic programmes and idiosyncratic performances are highly acclaimed by audiences, organizers and by creative artists from various disciplines, with whom SPECTRA collaborates.

SPECTRA performed in and outside Europe at festivals such as Ars Musica (B), Transit (B), Festival of Flanders (B), Festival Musica Nova (Brazil), November Music Festival (NL/B/D), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (GB), the Biennale Venezia (It), Aurora Festival (World Music Days 2010) Sydney (Aus), Festival Musica Strasbourg (F) and many major venues.

FILIP RATHÉ

© Anouk de Kleermaeker

CHARLOTTE RIEDIJK SOPRANO Charlotte Riedijk has sung throughout Europe with many of today’s leading conductors (Alan Gilbert, Yannick NézetSéguin, Hartmut Haenchen, Peter Eötvös and others). Riedijk has also appeared as a soloist with contemporary music ensembles in Europe, China and the USA. Chamber music and (contemporary) music theatre play an important role in Charlotte’s career. She performs regularly with distinguished soloists at chamber music festivals throughout Europe (West Cork Chamber Music, Delft Chamber Music Festival, Holland Festival, Festival van Vlaanderen). Charlotte is voice teacher at Codarts Rotterdam/Classical Department.

More info via: www.charlotteriedijk.com

5

Filip Rathé (1966) graduated at the Conservatory of Ghent in piano and choir conducting. At the University of Ghent he acquired a Master Degree of Musicology. He teaches contemporary music at the Conservatory, School of Arts of University College Ghent. Since 1993, he is artistic leader and conductor of SPECTRA, performing concerts in Europe and South-America and premiering over 150 new compositions. As a composer, his compositions were performed by a.o. Neue Vokalsolisten Stuttgart, Kremerata Baltica, Exaudi, the Flemish Radio Choir, ASKO and SPECTRA.

Echo de Maeterlinck (2011) by Frederik Neyrinck (°1985) is based on five short verses of ‘Chanson no.6’ from ‘Douze Chansons’ by Maurice Maeterlinck. The poem relates to the unfulfilling search for happiness and reveals the impossibility to capture Truth and Luck. In this piece two diversified types of material are slowly being transformed; the palpable material itself becomes a distant memory, an echo of what it used to be.

6

Memories of an Index (2012) by Annelies Van Parys (°1975) playfully refers to her opera ‘An Index of Memories’, created by SPECTRA in 2010. Van Parys wrote this musical self-reflection for a slightly altered instrumentation, adding the piano and using only one singing voice. It casts a new glance on the initial material. The text consists of a selection of ancient Greek verses by the famous lyric poet Sappho of Lesbos.

Eros dèyté m’o lysiméles d’onei Glykypikron amachanon orpeton.

Now like a mountain wind the oaks o’erwhelming, Eros shakes my soul

Poikilothron athanat Aphrodita Pai déos doloploke lissomai se, Mè m’asaisi mèd’ oniaisi damna, Potnia thymon,

Shimmering-throned immortal Aphrodite, Daughter of Zeus, Enchantress, I implore thee, Spare me, O queen, this agony and anguish, Crush not my spirit

Alla tyid’ élth’ai pota katéroota Tas émas aydas aioisa pèloi Éklyes, patros de domon lipoisa Chrysion èlthes

Whenever before thou has hearkened to me-To my voice calling to thee in the distance, And heeding, thou hast come, leaving thy father’s Golden dominions,

With chariot yoked to thy fleet-winged coursers, Fluttering swift pinions over earth’s darkness, And bringing thee through the infinite, gliding Downwards from heaven,

Aipsa d’eksikonto sy d’oo makaira Meidiaisais athanatooi prosoopooi Ère otti dèyte pepontha kootti Dèyte kalèmmi,

Then, soon they arrived and thou, blessed goddess, With divine contenance smiling, didst ask me What new woe had befallen me now and why, Thus I had called the.

Kootti moi malista théloo génesthai Maino lai thymooi . Tina dèyte peithoo Aps s’agèn’es Gan philotata ? tis s’, oo Psappho, adikèei?

What in my mad heart was my greatest desire, Who was it now that must feel my allurements, Who was the fair one that must be persuaded, Who wronged thee Sappho?

Kai gar ai pheygei, takseoos diooksei.

Ai dè doora mè deket, alla doosei.

Ai dè mè philei, takseoos filèsei, Kooyk etheloisa.

For if now she flees, quickly she shall follow And if she spurns gifts, soon shall she offer them Yea, if she knows not love, soon shall she feel it Even reluctant.

Elthe moi kai nyn chalepan de lyson Ek merimnan, ossa de moi telessai Thymos imerrei, teleson su d’ayta Symmachos esso.

Come then, I pray, grant me surcease from sorrow, Drive away care, I beseech thee, O goddess Fulfil for me what I yearn to accomplish, Be thou my ally. © translation: Sacred Texts

7

Arm ypasdeyksaisa kaloi dé s’agon Ookées stroythoi perigas mélainas Pykna dinnentes pter’ap ooranooitheros Dia messoo,

Lettre Soufie: Sh(în) (2009) by Jean-Luc Fafchamps (°1960) is the ninth piece of the ‘Lettres Soufies’, a reflection on musical writing, time and form. In this cycle Fafchamps exploits the symbolism of the Islam-related Sufi-mysticism as a key to poetic correspondences. Shîn, associated with acceptation, white aloe, the moon, the cleansing fire… constitutes a form of lament, or rather a status of renunciation in which a silent and restrained lamentation is dreamt.

© Karin Borghouts

8

Avec Diamants Extrêmes (2010) by Filip Rathé (°1966) takes the opening verses of ‘La Jeune Parque’ by Paul Valéry as point of departure for a work in progress, consisting of remotely related aphorisms. Memory, future of our past. The present: never complete and always fading. Music emerging from basic emotional gestures. Subconscious association as constructive plan. Gestures for bricks. Motion in/is time.

Live concert ‘20 years; for the record’ - October 25th, 2013

(étude scénographique) (2008) by Daan Janssens (°1983) is a musical colouring of an ode by Ricardo Reis (a heteronym of the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa). Rather than illustrating the text word by word, the music evokes the underlying thought. The text, which is more lyrical, yet fragmentarily presented, is pursued by continually recurring short musical images, based on differentiated tiny motifs and musical gestures.

Little knowing life, always

Da repetida imagem perseguida

Pursued by the repeated image

Do fim inevitável, a cada hora

Of its inevitable ending, itself continually

Sentindo-se mudada,

Feeling a different life

E, como Orfeu volvendo à vinda esposa

And, like Orpheus who turned

O olhar algoz, para o passado erguendo

His killing glance to his wife, raising

A memória pra em mágoas o apagar

Memory to what was, to erase it in sorrows

No báratro da mente.

In the abyss of the spirit.

9

Pequena vida consciente, sempre

© translation: Transit Festival

© Karin Borghouts

10

Cardhu (2008) by Luc Brewaeys (°1959) is one of a series of compositions baring the name of a Single Malt Whisky. Brewaeys transforms the world of spectral thought into a personal and idiosyncratic musical language. Two alternating and contrasting ideas develop throughout the piece, in which the taste of the music reveals itself with every sip. The growing intensity culminates at the ‘bottom of the glass’ where it finally freezes, “losing all sense of time”

11 Š Karin Borghouts

SPECTRA

www.spectraensemble.com

FUG 730

This is an

Production

The labels of the Outhere Group: Outhere is an independent musical production and publishing company whose discs are published under the catalogues Æon, Alpha, Fuga Libera, Outnote, Phi, Ramée, Ricercar and ZigZag Territoires. Each catalogue has its own well defined identity. Our discs and our digital products cover a repertoire ranging from ancient and classical to contemporary, jazz and world music. Our aim is to serve the music by a relentless pursuit of the highest artistic standards for each single production, not only for the recording, but also in the editorial work, texts and graphical presentation.

We like to uncover new repertoire or to bring a strong personal touch to each performance of known works. We work with established artists but also invest in the development of young talent. The acclaim of our labels with the public and the press is based on our relentless commitment to quality. Outhere produces more than 100 CDs per year, distributed in over 40 countries. Outhere is located in Brussels and Paris.

Full catalogue available here

At the cutting edge of contemporary and medieval music

Full catalogue available here

The most acclaimed and elegant Baroque label

Full catalogue available here

Full catalogue available here

30 years of discovery of ancient and baroque repertoires with star performers

A new look at modern jazz

Full catalogue available here

Gems, simply gems

Philippe Herreweghe’s own label

Full catalogue available here

From Bach to the future…

Full catalogue available here

Discovering new French talents

Here are some recent releases‌

Click here for more info