This autumn, The Esoterics is excited to host German composer Michael Ostrzyga to Seattle for a concert of astronomical proportion! Over the last decade and a half, Michael has composed and published a cappella choral works for each of the planets in our solar system – Mercurius, Venus, Mars, Iuppiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptunus – and arranged them into a cycle called Planets and gods. These pieces not only explore the astronomical and mythological aspects of each planet and the god or goddess for which they are named, they also examine where science and belief intersect. In this cycle, Ostrzyga’s music allows and invites the listener to create their own association with each planet or god(dess), drawing on whatever imagery they might remember, or knowledge they might have.
Planets and gods will be intertwined with a new series of miniatures, entitled Strange solar system bodies, a world premiere commissioned by The Esoterics. Each aphoristic piece of this new cycle focuses on a singular body in our solar system (dwarfs, moon, and asteroids), each of which sets itself apart in strikingly different ways. Some boast an obscure outer appearance, such as: the quickly-rotating and therefore oval-shaped dwarf-planet Haumea in the outer reaches; the potato-shaped asteroid Bennu, which passes dangerously close to Earth every six years; and Saturn’s moon Mimas, which, due to a gigantic crater in just the right spot, resembles a white version of the Star War’s Death Star. Other bodies amaze in different ways, like the former dwarf-planet Pluto and its moon Charon, which form an eerie double-system with the center of gravity located outside of the former planet. Ostrzyga captures these features and mechanics of these “heavenly bodies” in a highly condensed manner, offering fascinating music almost entirely devoid of words.
In addition to this world premiere cycle, The Esoterics will offer three more works by Ostrzyga that hover between the astronomical and mythological: Farout (on the formerly furthest known object in our Solar System, 2018 VG18), Flight (on how birds take to the skies), and Event horizon (on a lingering the edge of a black hole). In his work, Michael has incorporated a fascinating variety of texts, by such authors as: Cato, Sappho, and Virgil; Blake, Keats, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth; Heinrich Heine, Friedrich Rückert, and Jules Verne; Anna Louisa Karsch, Phillis Wheatley, and Euan Tait. The variety and innovation of Ostrzyga’s music is truly astounding.
We hope that you can join us for ORBIT and ORACLE!
Repertoire list:
[All of the music in this program was composed by Michael Ostrzyga.]
Event horizon (2022) Farout (2021) Flight (2023) Iuppiter (2007) Mars (2022) Mercurius (2010) Neptunus (2018) Saturn (2014) Strange solar system bodies (2024, world premiere commission) Uranus (2020) Venus (2022)