David Philip Hefti’s “Changements” at the George Enescu Festival (August 2019)

On Sunday, 1 September 2019, the Royal Camerata will present at the George Enescu festival in Bucharest a work by Davi Philip Hefti, winner of the festival’s 2005 George Enescu Competition: Changements – atmospheric pictures for orchestra.

Overview on the details of the concert:
1 September – Bukarest, Radio Hall – Enescu Festival
Royal Camerata, Constantin Adrian Grigore
Hefti: Changements – atmospheric pictures for orchestra
et al.

Here you can find further information on the concert and here on the work by David Philip Hefti.

David Philip Hefti’s “Media nox” at the ARD Radio Festival (August 2019)

On 13 August 2019, the recording of the world premier of David Philip Hefti’s flute concerto Media nox – Music for the third nocturnal vigil will be broadcast at the ARD Radio Festival. The world premier took place on 3 April 2019 at the Heidelbergre Frühling Festival and was performed by the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie under Jamie Phillips and  withTatjana Ruhland as soloist.

David Philip Hefti about Media nox:
„The harmonies of this work are primarily quarter-tone, and explore the sounds of twilight, the night, spheres, dreams, sleeplessness and hallucinations. They create sound-surfaces alternately static, animated and iridescent that are the central idea of the work; these are then repeatedly roughened up by the rhythmic and melodic threads woven by the solo flute. This microtonal music is what I repeatedly here in the twilight state between sleep and sleeplessness.“

You can find more information on the broadcast here.

World Premiere of David Philip Hefti’s Flute Concerto “Media nox” at the Heidelberger Frühling festival (March 2019)

On 3 April, David Philip Hefti’s Flute Concerto Media nox – Music for the third nocturnal vigil for flute and orchestra will be premiered at the Heidelberger Frühling festival by Tatjana Ruhland and the Deutschen Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern under the baton of Jamie Philips. The concert will be recorded for radio broadcast by the German public radio station Saarländischer Rundfunk. As an ‘encore’, Jörg Tröger will talk with David Philip Hefti, Tatjana Ruhland and Dietrich Götze, who initiated and donated the commission.

David Philip Hefti about Media nox:
„The harmonies of this work are primarily quarter-tone, and explore the sounds of twilight, the night, spheres, dreams, sleeplessness and hallucinations. They create sound-surfaces alternately static, animated and iridescent that are the central idea of the work; these are then repeatedly roughened up by the rhythmic and melodic threads woven by the solo flute. This microtonal music is what I repeatedly here in the twilight state between sleep and sleeplessness.“

Here you can find a podcast (in German) of the Heidelberger Frühling featuring David Philip Hefti, who talks about composing his Flute Concerto Media nox for Tatjana Ruhlan, and here a mutual video of David Philip Hefti and Tatjana Ruhland about this project. In an interview with SWR2 Treffpunkt Klassik, Tatjana Ruhland speaks about the upcoming world premiere of this work, here you can listen to it.

Overview on the world premiere in Heidelberg:

3 April, 19.30 – Heidelberg, Stadthalle – Heidelberger Frühling
Deutsche Radiophilharmonie, Jamie Phillips
Hefti: Media nox – Music for the third nocturnal vigil for flute and orchestra – World Premiere
Tatjana Ruhland – Flute                                                      

You can find further information on the concert here.

Impressions from David Philip Hefti’s “Snow Queen” (November 2018)

On 11 November, David Philip Hefti’s story in music The Snow Queen was premiered on the occasion of the Tonhalle Society Zurich’s 150th anniversary in two family concerts at the Tonhalle Maag in Zurich. Following some impressions from the rehearsals.

You can find further information the work on David Philip Hefti‘s website.

Rehearsal on 31/10/18; from left to right: Mojca Erdmann (Snow Queen), Delia Mayer (Gerda, narrator), Max Simonischek (Kay), David Philip Hefti; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Rehearsal on 9/11/18; David Philip Hefti; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Rehearsal on 9/11/18; Mojca Erdmann; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Rehearsal on 10/11/18; orchestra on stage and spatial music; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Rehearsal on 10/11/18; Delia Mayer, Max Simonischek; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

Rehearsal on 10/11/18; © Tom Kawara / Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich

David Philip Hefti – World Premiere of “The Snow Queen” on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (November 2018)

On the occasion of its 150th anniversary and to celebrate music with all generations, the Tonhalle Society Zurich invited Swiss composer and conductor David Philip Hefti to compose The Snow Queen, a story in music based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, and to also conduct its world premiere: on 11 November 2018. The semi-staged production with renowned Soprano Mojca Erdmann (Snow Queen) as well as actors Delia Mayer (narrator/Gerda) and Maximilian Simonischek (Kay) will be performed in two family concerts at the Tonhalle Maag in Zurich.

The Snow Queen tells the story of the two neighboring children Kay and Gerda and their confrontation with the Snow Queen. After a splinter hits Kay’s eye and his soul hardened, he is abducted by the Snow Queen to her palace. But the unwavering Gerda searches for him and is not stopped by any of the Snow Queen’s attempts to distract her from finding him.

David Philip Hefti says: “It is a special honor for me to have received a major commission on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Tonhalle Society Zurich and to even conduct its world premiere on 11 November 2018. This concert is a highlight of my many years of collaboration with the wonderful Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. My “Snow Queen” is characterized by the spatial arrangement of the orchestra and by extraordinary instruments, such as a double-bass clarinet or 24 wine glasses tuned in quarter tones. The work addresses children from about 8 years on, youth and adults. I am especially looking forward to working with my great soloists as well as to the semi-staged realization of the “Snow Queen” at the Tonhalle Maag.”

Executive and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Society Zurich, Ilona Schmiel, comments: “Anniversaries exist to write new stories and history: a well-known subject matter for all generations with a new libretto by Andreas Schäfer, subtly staged by Eva Buchmann and newly set to music by David Philip Hefti, one of the most distinguished Swiss composers of his generation with great affinity to musical theater. I am sure that David Philip Hefti’s new work “The Snow Queen” will succeed in showing the relevance of this dramatic story with its highly interesting musical language and conception. David Philip Hefti will also conduct the world premiere himself with a wonderful cast.”

The details of the performances are:

11 November, 11:15 & 14:15, Zurich, Tonhalle Maag
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David Philip Hefti
Hefti: The Snow Queen World Premiere
Mojca Erdmann ­– Soprano, Delia Mayer – Speaker,
Max Simonischek – Speaker,
Eva Buchmann – Director, Andreas Schäfer – Libretto

You can find the synopsis of the work on David Philip Hefti‘s website. The work will be published by Edition Kunzelmann. Edition Kunzelmann makes the score available for download here.

David Philip Hefti – World Premier of his String Quartet No. 5 (October 2018)

On 26 October 2018, David Philip Hefti’s String Quartet No. 5  Concubia nocte – Music for the second nocturnal vigil will be premiered by the Merel Quartett at the Kammermusikfestival Engelberg. It was the Merel Quartett, who commissioned David Philip Hefti’s first piece of this genre in 2007, the String Quartet Ph(r)asen, which they also recorded for CD.

Concubia nocte is the continuation of David Philip Hefti’s “nocturnal vigils”: Prima nocte – Music for the first nocturnal vigil, for chamber orchestra was premiered this February by the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne on the occasion of the orchestra’s 75th anniversary, and in spring 2019, the “vigils” will be continued with the world premier of David Philip Hefti’s flute concert Media nox – Music for the third nocturnal vigil at the Heidelberger Frühling, performed by the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie under Jamie Phillips and with flutist Tatjana Ruhland.

Overview on the concert in Engelberg:
26 October, 19.00
Engelberg (CH), Kloster
Zwischentöne – Kammermusikfestival Engelberg
Hefti: Concubia nocte – Music for the second nocturnal vigil (String quartet No. 5) World Premier
Merel Quartett

You can find further information on the concert here.

David Philip Hefti – New Release: “An durchsichtigen Fäden” (September 2018)

The score of David Philip Hefti’s work An durchsichtigen Fäden – for mezzo soprano and string quartet is now available in print edition. The piece was premiered by Maria Riccarda Wesseling and the Amaryllis Quartet. Here you can take a look at the complete score.