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November 2000

Singing Praise

World premiere of 22 Hymns for Two voices and Organ at the Andreaskirche

Sacred music usually calls to mind Johann Sebastian Bach’s divine harmonies and Antonio Vivaldi’s passionate crescendos. When hearing of new sacred music, some might think of 18th-century composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, who drew inspiration from Gregorian chants and early monastic song. Hans Joachim Friedl, a contemporary Munich composer and former scholar at the prestigious Villa Massimo in Rome, departs radically from traditional roots, taking an unexpected approach to the genre. Audiences intuitively comprehend the musical structures of his non-denominational religious compositions. Based on biblical psalms and other hallowed texts, Friedl achieves extraordinary levels of expression and meditational sound mainly through vocal variations. He performs the world premiere of his 22 Hymns for Two Voices and Organ on November 19 at 20:00, at the Andreaskirche, Waliserstrasse 11 (U3 Fürstenried West) in nearby Fürstenried. Friedl will be accompanied by Michael Grill, virtuoso organist and promoter of the Neue Orgelmusik München series, as well as mezzo-soprano Margarete Adler and Bavarian State Opera baritone Hans Wilbrink. <<< KA

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