Instrumentation: for eight-part choir (SSAATTBB), basset horn and vibraphone
Texts: Vincent van Gogh, Pieter Teding van Berckhout, Dirk Hannema, Catharina Bolnes, Alltagssprache
Very little is known about the life of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). There exists nothing but a scattering of contemporary articles and absolutely no personal testimonials with regard to the artist, who rarely left his hometown of Delft. Despite this, and a relatively small oeuvre of approximately 35 paintings known to exist, Jan Vermeer exposed new dimensions in the field of light, perspective and colour, and is regarded as one of the most outstanding painters of his era. Using compositional methods, 'Licht bei Vermeer' attempts to transpose the characteristic light and colour concepts of seven Vermeer paintings onto a musical level. While the basset horn and vibraphone generally represent the only painting depicting a view of Vermeer's hometown (View of Delft, ca. 1660/61), the choir tackles six genre scenes situated within this city: Woman with a Lute [ca. 1659-60], Lady and Gentleman Drinking Wine [undated] The Girl with the Wine Glass [ca. 1659-60], A Lady Standing at a Virginal [ca. 1672-1673], Woman with a Pearl Necklace [ca. 1664] and Woman Holding a Balance [ca. 1664]. Each of these genre scenes is assigned a text fragment, like tesserae in the mosaic of Vermeer-reception, where the musical reference to the picturesque work of Vermeer is coupled with exemplary statements about his life and impact.
Duration: 12' 00"