Siorram

The complex rhythmic structures developed by English composers of the Elizabethan era continue to resonate today in the works of James Dillon and Rebecca Saunders. A dialogue between the ages.

Music from the period before Handel and Bach has a much stronger presence in Great Britain than it did for a long time in Central Europe. This is due, amongst other things, to the rich choral tradition. The music of the Tudor and Elizabethan periods was thus kept alive; the scores remained intact. Composers continue to benefit from this to this day – including James Dillon. It therefore makes sense to juxtapose these eras in a single concert: on the one hand, the early works, performed here in a richly ornamented or ‘diminuita’ style – in accordance with a treatise by the Venetian Silvestro Ganassi. This gives rise to extraordinary rhythmic complexity. And on the other hand, two more recent British compositions in which this complexity resonates. Dillon’s solo viola piece «Siorram» (Gaelic for «in a magical sleep») follows a meandering line that winds its way through geometric figures and dreamscapes, and ultimately also touches upon the sounds of a Gaelic fiddle. In her «Dialogue» for viola and percussion, Berlin-based composer Rebecca Saunders quotes Gertrude Stein: «… a person who captivates attention simply by their existence; it is not developments that are unfolded, but ‹states of being› that are spliced together with sharp cuts … figures who did nothing, but simply were.»