Native foreigners (2017)

for vocal quartet & live electronics

Texts by Ibn al-Khafadja, Daniel Varoujan, Abraham Sutzkever, Mahmoud Darwish, Ingrid Jonker, Milan Milisic & Velibor Colic.

Commissioned by SoloVoices

Duration: 35 minutes

Dedication: a SoloVoices

Native Foreigners is a long-term project with Basel based vocal ensemble SoloVoices. Born as a reflection on a modern concept of the madrigal (a Renaissance format widespread throughout Europe that, in some way, erased musical boundaries), the authors of the chosen texts come of very diverse origins, but they all have one thing in common: a certain conflict of cultural identity, mother tongue, affiliation… They are Ibn Khafadja, Daniel Varoujan, Mahmoud Darwish, Ingrid Jonker, Milan Milisic, Velibor Colic and Abraham Sutzkever. Madrigalisms, rhetorical figures that symbolically reproduce (or reinforce, question…) the text with music, permeate this musical journey.

I. Es va despullar al capvespre
II. Raccolgo la messe
III. Mon père
IV. Ek herhaal jou
V. After the winter
VI. Le médecin enlève ses lunettes
VII. Leaves of Ash

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