Borrowed Light

Sarah Hennies: Borrowed Light (2023, WP)

Mivos Quartet

“Borrowed Light” – Sarah Hennies’s String Quartet, written for the Mivos Quartet – is as imaginatively evocative as Motor Tapes, the American composer’s new work in the program of Dedalus Ensemble on 8 August 2023. If Motor Tapes refers to neural pathways and endless loops, Borrowed Light derives from a technique developed by American Shakers to install windows in interior walls of buildings to let in light from adjacent rooms with exterior windows. The Shakers, a religious community now almost completely forgotten and often mistaken for the Amish People, also became known primarily for their craftsmanship – “Shaker-made” was considered a seal of quality per se. The Mivos Quartet, which will premiere Borrowed Light in Darmstadt, took part in a young ensemble program at the Summer Course 2012 and has since gone on to a remarkable international career. Together with the young Polish ensemble Spółdzielnia Muzyczna, the Mivos Quartet is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Summer Course 2023.

With the friendly support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation and the Pro Musica Viva – Maria Strecker-Daelen-Stiftung (PMV)