Press
“Hear [the Duo Kalysta] if you can, either in concert or this way.”
— Gorman, American Record Guide
May-June 2020 (about the recording Origins)
“Deutsch, a player who can soften or strengthen her handsome tone according to need, is very much in the first chair.”
— Arthur Kaptainis, La Scena Musicale
February 2020
"Deutsch revealed new worlds of colour and meaning in every single note ... an astonishing artist"
— Scott Tresham, Senior Producer at CBC Music
“Hear [the Duo Kalysta] if you can, either in concert or this way.”
— Gorman, American Record Guide
May-June 2020 (about the recording Origins)
“Deutsch, a player who can soften or strengthen her handsome tone according to need, is very much in the first chair.”
— Arthur Kaptainis, La Scena Musicale
February 2020
"Deutsch revealed new worlds of colour and meaning in every single note ... an astonishing artist"
— Scott Tresham, Senior Producer at CBC Music
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Bongani Ndodana-Breen
African Kaddish
African Kaddish
for symphonic orchestra
pour orchestre symphonique
"I wrote the piece while I was living in Chicago. Then I had the habit of listening to public radio in the afternoon while I worked at my desk. At that time South Africa was at the height of an AIDS pandemic. The news report of infants infected through mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the country really affected me and the unwillingness of the then government to provide medication was deeply upsetting. In contemplating the deaths of so many innocent children, I could only think of the Jewish prayer “Kaddish” which is usually recited for the dead. The Kaddish is actually a doxology, it affirms the greatness of our creator and their eternality.
The music (especially the opening section with its woodwinds passage) echoes elements of African traditional music through its use of certain melodic motifs and percussion effects. There is use of call and response and also hocket. The texture of the music is layered, often with several metres juxtaposed together. This is another trait of African music.
The middle section is a sea of sound, structured around a simple canon. The strings are divided down to one or two desks per part. This is an enveloping, almost comforting effect yet full of intensity. Towards the end, a more neo-romantic theme takes over, with cello and horns playing in unison."
- Bongani
"J'ai écrit ce morceau alors que je vivais à Chicago. J'avais alors l'habitude d'écouter la radio publique l'après-midi pendant que je travaillais à mon bureau. À cette époque, l'Afrique du Sud était en pleine pandémie de sida. Le reportage sur les nourrissons infectés par la transmission du VIH de la mère à l'enfant dans le pays m'a vraiment touché et la réticence du gouvernement de l'époque à fournir des médicaments m'a profondément bouleversé. En contemplant la mort de tant d'enfants innocents, je n'ai pu que penser à la prière juive "Kaddish" qui est habituellement récitée pour les morts. Le Kaddish est en fait une doxologie, elle affirme la grandeur de notre créateur et son éternité.
La musique (notamment la section d'ouverture avec son passage de bois) fait écho à des éléments de la musique traditionnelle africaine par l'utilisation de certains motifs mélodiques et d'effets de percussion. On y retrouve l'appel et la réponse ainsi que le hocket. La texture de la musique est stratifiée, avec souvent plusieurs mètres juxtaposés. C'est une autre caractéristique de la musique africaine.
La section centrale évoque une mer de sons, structurée autour d'un canon simple. Les cordes sont divisées en un ou deux pupitres par partie. C'est un effet enveloppant, presque réconfortant et pourtant plein d'intensité. Vers la fin, un thème plus néo-romantique prend le dessus, avec le violoncelle et les cors jouant à l'unisson."
- Bongani
SPECS
Duration:
8
Movements:
Roles:
Instrumentation:
2.2.2.2/4.2.2.1/3 perc/strings
2.2.2.2/4.2.2.1/3 perc/cordes
Tech:
Language:
BACKGROUND
Date of composition:
1998
Commissionner:
Commissioned by Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) for the South African National Youth Orchestra.
Commande du Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) pour le South African National Youth Orchestra
Performances:
Premiere: South African National Youth Orchestra, Bernhard Gueller, conductor. Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg, 1999.
Subsequent performances: Symphony Nova Scotia, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Cape Symphony (Cape Cod, US)
Première: South African National Youth Orchestra, Bernhard Gueller, chef, 1999.
Autres performances: Symphony Nova Scotia, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Cape Symphony (Cape Cod, US)
Awards:
Press:
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen has written a wide range of music encompassing symphonic work, opera, chamber music and vocal music. According to The New York Times his “delicately made music - airy, spacious, terribly complex but never convoluted - has a lot to teach the Western wizards of metric modulation and layered rhythms about grace and balance.” Performers around the world have performed his music including the Minnesota Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Kwa Zulu-Natal Philharmonic, Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic, New York City’s Vox Vocal Ensemble, New Julliard Ensemble, Juventas Ensemble, Continuum Contemporary Music Toronto, Chicago’s Cube Ensemble, Avalon String Quartet and Ossia.
Le compositeur Bongani Ndodana-Breen a écrit un large éventail de types d'œuvres musicales incluant des œuvres symphoniques, des opéras, de la musique de chambre et de la musique vocale. Selon le New York Times sa “musique délicatement conçue - aérienne, spacieuse, d’une complexité terrible, mais dont le raffinement n’est jamais excessif - a beaucoup à apprendre aux fins experts de la modulation métrique et des rythmes superposés à propos de la grâce et de l’équilibre.” Des musiciens de partout à travers le monde ont interprété sa musique, notamment le Minnesota Orchestra, le Belgian National Orchestra, l’Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, l’Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, le Vancouver Opera Orchestra, la Symphony Nova Scotia, le Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, le Kwa Zulu-Natal Philharmonic, le Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, le Johannesburg Philharmonic, le Cape Town Philharmonic, le New York City’s Vox Vocal Ensemble, le New Julliard Ensemble, le Juventas Ensemble, le Continuum Contemporary Music Toronto, le Cube Ensemble de Chicago, l’Avalon String Quartet et Ossia.
ABOUT THE LIBRETTIST
About the work