Sonntag aus Licht
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Sonntag aus Licht (Sunday from Light, 1998-2003)
Sonntag aus Licht is the wedding day of Eve and Michael. The five scenes form a mystical celebration of their union, through the movement of sound, light and water, processions of angels, luminous tableaux, scattered incense, symbols shown. A young boy is carried aloft by a flying horse. The story of Licht is reformulated; the week of light can begin again.
Commissions:
Scene 1: Lichter-Wasser: commissioned by Südwestrundfunk for the Donaueschinger Musiktage
Scene 2: Engel-Prozessionen: commissioned by Groot Omroepkoor Hilversum
Scene 3: Licht-Bilder: commissioned by Centre de création musicale Iannis Xenakis
Scene 4: Düfte-Zeichen: commissioned by Peter Ruzicka for the Salzburg Festival
Scene 5: Hoch-Zeiten für Chor and Hoch-Zeiten für Orchester: commissioned by Rafael Nebot for the Festival de Música de Canarias.
Composition: 1998-2003.
First performance: Cologne, April 9 and 10, 2011, Cologne Opera House, under the musical direction of Kathinka Pasveer and Peter Rundel.
Publisher: Stockhausen Verlag.
Dedication: "to God"
Structure
Opera in five scenes and a farewell for 10 vocal soloists, one male voice, four instrumental soloists, two choirs, two orchestras, electronic music, sound projection
First scene
Lichter - Wasser (Dimanche - Salut / Lights - Waters)
Second scene
Engel-Prozessionen (Angel Processions)
Third stage
Licht-Bilder (Images of Light)
Fourth scene
Düfte - Zeichen (Perfumes - Signs)
Fifth scene
Hoch-Zeiten (Weddings)
Sonntags-Abschied (Sunday Farewell)
Premiere of this version
Scenes 1 and 2: November 16 & 17, 2023, Cité de la Musique (Salles des concerts)
Scenes 3, 4, 5: November 20, 2023, Philharmonie de Paris (Grande salle Pierre Boulez)
Musical direction Maxime Pascal
Stage direction Ted Huffman from indications by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Sound projection Florent Derex, Julien Aléonard (chœur scène 5)
Computer music production Augustin Muller, Romain Vuillet
Vocal conductors Bianca Chillemi, Chae Um Kim, Alain Muller
Vocal conductors Olivier Bardot, Gisèle Delgoulet, Zoé Fouray, Pierre-Louis de Laporte, Lucie Rueda, Titouan Sevic
Artistic collaboration with the choirs Richard Wilberforce
Lighting Bertrand Couderc
Video Pierre Martin Oriol
Movement collaboration Jenny Ogilvie
Costumes Pascale Lavandier
Accessories Marguerite Lantz
Translations Gaspard Kiejman
Technical production control and sound coordination Koré Préaud
Lighting control Sébastien Böhm
Video control David Dubost
Sound control Nicolas Widmer
Costume assistant Marie Llorens
With the collaboration of the Philharmonie de Paris teams.
Production Le Balcon ; La Philharmonie de Paris ; Festival d'Automne à Paris
In coproduction with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris
With support from Théâtre-Sénart, scène nationale, Holophonix, Fondation d'entreprise Société Générale C'est vous l'Avenir, Fondation Ernst Von Siemens pour la Musique and Fondation Singer-Polignac
