Die Stücke der Windrose by Mauricio Kagel
Every wind direction has its own local colours
Feb 11 2020
Argentinian-German composer Mauricio Kagel (1931 – 2008) is one of the leading composers of the 20th century. He is known for his avant-garde and versatile style, resulting in fresh, fantasy-rich and humorous music.
The same goes for his cyclus Die Stücke der Windrose in which every wind direction has its own local colours. Kagel was born in Argentina, south of the equator. According to Kagel himself this has caused him to view wind directions differently than North-Europeans do. This results in unexpected colours: for instance, the North sounds surprisingly exotic and sultry whereas the West is mainly exotic. The cyclus is written for an ensemble of 5 string players, piano, harmonium, clarinet and percussion. The percussion, which is extremely extensive and uses all kinds of unusual instruments, is different for every wind direction.
Mauricio Kagel
Asko|Schönberg