György Ligeti
Lontano for large orchestra (1967)
Kurt Weill
Symphony No. 2 (excerpt) (1934)
Arnold Schönberg
Five Pieces for Orchestra op. 16 (1909)
Igor Strawinsky
Symphony in Three Movements (excerpt) (1946)
Shahin Najafi
Various songs
- Shahin Najafi vocals and guitar
- Melanie Kretschmann, Nicola Gründe, Guido Lambrecht narrator
- Jugendsinfonieorchester der Rheinischen Musikschule (production: Alvaro Palmen)
- Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
- François-Xavier Roth conductor
- Lauren Schubbe arrangements
The grandmother who was expelled from her village in 1945. The East German musician who, when on a concert tour, left his instrument behind to start a new life in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Syrian family who rescues themselves to Europe in a boat. The composer who flees his home country to be safe from persecution. What they all have in common is that they were forced to leave their homes to look for safety and protection in a foreign country. The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Rheinische Music School will be going in search of escape routes in our society. Music can reflect, illuminate and process the varied paths and root causes of flight in a multi-faceted way. With Francois-Xavier Roth as musical director the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne will create new encounters. Iranian poet Shahin Najafi, who is persecuted in his home country, will also join the concert. The songs of Shahin Najafi object against the injustice of being expelled from one’s home country.
