Beyer, Frank Michael: Et resurrexit (2001/02) 21'
for twelve-part mixed chorus a cappella

Music Text  
(L)

World premiere complete
3/12/2010
Peterskirche, Leipzig
MDR Rundfunkchor / Howard Arman


World Premiere
3/16/2003
Philharmonie, Berlin
Rundfunkchor Berlin / Simon Halsey


Composer's Notes      Deutsch
Et resurrexit… et ascendit… relates the story of Easter, which is evoked in a three-sound tableau.
The arrangement of layers and groups in this 12-part chorus is constantly changing, thus creating a lively sense of suspense which alternates between narration, contemplation and the creation of an atmospheric aura.
Hallelujah …, the word of praise which still resonates at Eastertime today, is the only language element in the third part; here, as the movement increases, the whole piece reaches its climax.
This new score is my largest a cappella composition, after the 4- to 5-part motet Lavatio - Manifestatio Christi (premiered by RIAS Kammerchor in 1962) and the 8-part Canticum Mose et Agni (premiered by the Monteverdi Choir London under John Elliot Gardiner in 1977).
For the complex constellations of sound and language regarded as necessary in music today to be carried out adequately, it is extremely important that works are performed by distinguished choir ensembles. Thus the commission by the radio choir under Simon Halsey encouraged me once more to further increase the number of parts in the choir, this time to 12, which made me reconsider the question of how language is manifested in sound.
In the course of my compositional work, my linear thinking progresses towards group polyphony. During that process, words - including their sonal properties - are woven into a solid framework rather than being interpreted.

Press Quotes      Deutsch
“… the work Frank Michael Beyer had been commissioned to write … had almost classical sound qualities: masterly accuracy, clear audibility of structure and melodic warmth. One could say that Beyer sings in the traditional, elaborate manner of the Ancients, projecting forth to eternity, using all his knowledge and taste.” (Klaus Geitel, Berliner Morgenpost, 19.03.2003)

“It is interesting to see how the intricate counterpoint is integrated into a sound in motion; the words, rather than being interpreted, are surrounded by an shining aura.” (Peter Uehling, Berliner Zeitung, 18.03.2003)

“Between narration and contemplation it becomes apparent that when centering around the idea of resurrection, the music enters a state of excited suspense – a suspense which balances friction and harmony within the category of highly complex music.” (Sybill Mahlke, Der Tagesspiegel, 18.03.2003)