Portrait concert by Bettina Skrzypczak in Munich
At the invitation of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, Bettina Skrzypczak presented herself at the Munich Residenz with a portrait concert under the motto «Composing under the sign of responsibility».
Compositions from the last 25 years provided a lively insight into her rich chamber music oeuvre. The program included five works: the much-played flute solo Mouvement from 1999, the spiky-virtuoso Scène I for violin and violoncello, the piano solo Daphne's song, composed in 2002 for Massimiliano Damerini and the Venice Biennale, premiered at the Bern Music Festival 2023 Canzona ad astra for baritone, clarinet and violoncello on text fragments by the astronomer Johannes Kepler, as well as a world premiere, A Dialogue between the Soul and Body, a composition commissioned by the Academy.
The new work is based on a text by the English baroque poet and politician Andrew Marvell, who describes the contradictions between body and soul as a conflict-ridden togetherness and opposition with no way out. A timelessly topical subject, not only for today's psychologists. The text inspired the composer to create a declamatory, gestural duet in the form of speech and counter-speech, with the interlocking voices supported by the five instruments in a lively commentary. With Maud Niklas (soprano), Robert Koller (baritone) and the musicians of the Munich ensemble der/gelbe/klang under the direction of Peter Hirsch, the work was a great success with the audience.
In a half-hour conversation with composer and academy member Nikolaus Brass, Bettina Skrzypczak also had the opportunity to talk at length about her works and her artistic views.
