Schwetzingen SWR Festival: Ritual and Ecstasy

The SWR Vocal Ensemble, led by principal conductor Yuval Weinberg, embarks on a journey in search of the connection between sound and ritual, music and ecstasy. A concert as a pilgrimage: when the SWR Vocal Ensemble and its principal conductor Yuval Weinberg journey through countries, cultures, and religions, it is also a search for the connection between sound and ritual, music and ecstasy. The concert begins with British composer Joby Talbot, who is best known for his music for the cult film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Talbot's 17-part *Path of Miracles* moves in four movements along the Way of St. James from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela, drawing on medieval hymns. Samuel Barber's *Agnus Dei* is an arrangement of his Adagio for Strings from 1938. With *Ne'ila*, Israeli composer Eran Dinur has set to music the prayer that traditionally ends the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. György Kurtág's homage to his friend and colleague Luigi Nono is based on poems by Russian poet Rimma Dalos, which take up the Apostle Paul's thoughts on love. Georgi Sviridov's *Hymns and Prayers* are inspired by Russian Orthodox church music. The music of American composer Jay Schwartz also reflects on the roots of music with its waves of sound and large-scale glissandi: the connection between earth and heaven. **Video livestream on SWR Kultur**