Aus einem Tagebuch

From a Diary
Short notes for orchestra, 2003

For big orchestra: wind, brass, piano, harp, sampler, percussion and contra bases

3. 3. 3. 3. / 4. 4. 4. 2. / Pk. 4 Schlzg./ Hf. Klav. Sam. / 0. 0. 0. 0. 6. 22 min(s)

Premiere Berlin 2003 performed by Berlin Philharmonics, conductor: Sir Simon Rattle

Publisher: G.RICORDI & Co GmbH, Munich

"He no longer endures music, he finds it’s so full of useless sounds.”Elias Canetti (from: The Human Province)"Music and poetry already bore me after a short time – because it is unbearable to me, predictable, to have it come over me without answering, not to take the initiative yourself. I love it only in entire precious fragments – models.”Paul Valerie (from: Les Cahiers)Of course I never write in a diary myself, I am too impatient for that. Bur it was always the non-dramatic texts and especially the diary-like journals which inspired me to write my music-theater works and audio plays: the Sudelbücher by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, The Congo Diary by Joseph Conrad, The Excavation Reports by Heinrich Schliemann, Les Cahiers by Paul Valerie, The Notebook of the Pinetree by Francis Ponge, Walden by Henry David Thoreau and lately, notes by Elias Canetti. Maybe this is because of what the French author Maurice Blanchot has observed in this type of text:"the journal roots the movement of writing in time in the humbleness of the everyday, dated and preserved by its date… it is said under the safeguard of the event, it belongs to the affairs, the incidents, the commerce of the world, to an active present,” Maurice Blanchot (from: The Essential Solitude)The two aspects that this form of writing evokes in me are first a symphonic form that seems to contradict with a large orchestral piece and the shortness and boldness of the personal notes and perspectives of what Blanchot called the "active present.”The sound samples are recordings from the past ten years (1992-2002), some of which came up in the context of my composition and music theater works: in the rehearsals with Les Percussions des Strasbourg ("...meme soir. - ), with Eric Sleichim and the Belgian Blindman Saxophon Quartett ("Stadt Land Fluss”), with the Japanese shamisen player Yumiko Tanaka ("Hashirigaki”), with the British drummer Chris Cutler ("Cassiber”), with musicians of the Ensemble Modern ("Black on White” and "Walden”), with the French actor André Wilms ("Max Black”) among others.Aus einem Tagebuch in not to be misunderstood as a document, which contains spectacular material or which can be read directly, rather it can be considered as a way to deal with everyday sounds or noises "in the name of things” (Francis Ponge): the sound of the spokes of an old bicycle wheel, or the spring of a shock absorber, a marble in a bowl, the never repeated rests of an instrumental sound, etc.; both machine like and organic material is the starting point of that notation. The actual challenge of the piece seems to be in the form of the composition. There are many (16 to 20) very short individual images, which seem to be independent that are separated from each other by a constantly repeated motive.

Texts

Signal verstanden (Review, de)
Simon Rattle und die Berliner Philharmoniker in New York
22 November 2003, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Die Salzburger Osterfestspiele sind zu Sir-Simon-Spielen (Review, de)
17 April 2003, Frank Pommer, Rheinpfalz

Unbequemes statt bloßem Luxus (Review, de)
Sir Simon Rattle und seine Berliner Philharmoniker mit zwei Konzerten bei Salzburgs Osterfestspielen
17./18.4.2003, Volker Boser, Allgemeine Zeitung/Mainzer Anzeiger

Philharmonische "Eintragungen" (Review, de)
17 April 2003, Karl Harb, Salzburger Nachrichten

Was Kommt (Review, de)
5 April 2003, Gerald Felber, Salzburger Nachrichten

Heiner Goebbels und Märzmusik (Review, de)
"Landschaft mit entfernten Verwandten" und "Aus einem Tagebuch"
April 2003, Christine Hohmeyer, NMZ Neue Musikzeitung

Kolibris und Elektrobomber (Review, de)
Die Berliner Philharmoniker haben keine Angst mehr vor zeitgenössischen Geräuschen
12 March 2003, Volker Hagedorn, Die Zeit

Das Tagebuch ist noch nicht ganz die Musik (Review, de)
8 March 2003, Sybill Mahlke, Der Tagesspiegel

Untitled (Review, de)
7 March 2003, ORB Radio

Goebbels' World Premiere (Review, en)
Berlin Philharmonic Hall; March 6, 2003
6 March 2003, Nancy Chapple, www.klassik-in-berlin.de

Commentary (Material, en)
From a diary
1 January 2000, Heiner Goebbels

Werkkommentar (Material, de)
1 January 2000, Heiner Goebbels

Material (de)
1 January 2000

Material (en)
1 January 2000

Past Dates

November 2014
Gaida Festival
National Philharmonic Hall, Vilnius (Lithuania)

February 2013
Collazione Auttuno Estate
Auditorium RAI, Torino (Italy)

March 2008
GOEBBELS FESTIVAL 2008
Koningklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag (Netherlands)

February 2007
Festival for contemporary music, Winnipeg (Canada)

October 2006
Goebbels/Gubaidulina Festival
Oosterport, Groningen (Netherlands)

October 2005
Teatro Manzoni, Bologna (Italy)

April 2005
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

July 2004
Gebläsehalle, Bochum (Germany)

December 2003
Kulturradio RBB, Radio (Germany)

November 2003
Davis Symphony Hall, San Francisco (USA)

Kennedy Center, Washington (USA)

Carnegiehall, New York (USA)

September 2003
Settembre Musica Festival, Torino (Italy)

Royal Albert Hall, London (Great Britain)

April 2003
Osterfestspiele, Salzburger Festspiele (Austria)

March 2003
Berlin Philharmony, Berlin (Germany)

World Premiere
Berlin Philharmony, Berlin (Germany)