Work of the Week – Chaya Czernowin: Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings

What does our inner voice sound like? On October 20, 2024, Chaya Czernowin’s new composition Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings will premiere at the closing concert of the Donaueschingen Music Days. The Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and the SWR Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni, will bring this deeply emotional work to life.

Czernowin is no stranger to Donaueschingen; in 2017, her piece Guardian was performed at the festival. While that work featured a solo cello, her new composition Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings expands into a complex soundscape of six amplified voices, a sampler, and a large symphony orchestra with rich percussion. Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings is a commissioned work from the New York Philharmonic and Südwestrundfunk.

Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings by Chaya Czernowin: A Journey Within

The human voice as an expression of deep emotions: Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings places the voice at the center of the experience. It represents breath, noise, and escape – a journey into the wildest and most uncontrollable emotions. Like an opera, the six voices emerge from an orchestral jungle, surrounded by pulsating rhythms and powerful sounds. The orchestra provides dynamic contrasts and fascinating shifts between calm pedal tones and mosaic-like motifs. This sound world creates a unique symbiosis between voice and orchestra, taking the audience on an unforgettable journey.

The piece leads us to an undiscovered connection between outer and inner nature – deeply moving, familiar, yet at the same time alien and synesthetic. (Chaya Czernowin)

Look forward to the American premiere of Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings in 2025 with the New York Philharmonic. The German premiere will be live-streamed on October 20, 2024 (see video above), and broadcast on SWR Kultur.

Further Reading:

Chaya Czernowin: Komponistenprofil

Unforeseen dusk: bones into wings: Werkdetails und Online-Partitur 

Website Donaueschinger Musiktage

photo: Steven Kazuo Takasugi