Harmoniemusik

Hans Thomalla: Harmoniemusik (2020–21)

International Contemporary Ensemble
Rebekah Heller (Leitung)

A darkened hall, seven musicians surrounding the audience. Alan Pierson, who conducted the US premiere of Hans Thomalla’s Harmoniemusik summarises the experience: ‟For 60 minutes, the chaos of the world fades away, and we’re immersed in Hans’ harmony. The music reflects Hans’ wide-ranging passions—the cleanness of Reich, the sonic specificity of Lachenmann, the boundlessness of a James Turrell installation. Hans has created something profound here that is entirely its own, something which takes me deeper in each time I encounter it.”

Hans Thomalla’s one hour Harmoniemusik, ‟was written during a period of both political as well as personal grief. It is the attempt to create a ‛happy place’ for an hour, even though it can never entirely escape the experience that it attempts to leave behind.”

The International Contemporary Ensemble’s performances and commissioning activities during the 2024-25 concert season are made possible by the generous support of the board of directors, many individuals, as well as the Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Robert D. Bielecki Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc., Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, The Arlene and Larry Dunn Fund for Afrodiasporic Music, Fromm Music Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Amphion Foundation, Cheswatyr Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, New Music USA, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, BMI Foundation, as well as public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) from the U.S. Small Business Administration.