As Turning Point Ensemble prepares to present the Canadian premiere of Songs of Wars I Have Seen, composer Heiner Goebbels shares his thoughts on the creation of this remarkable work. From its origins with the London Sinfonietta and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to the profound influence of Gertrude Stein’s texts, Goebbels reflects on the themes of history, time, and the personal involvement of musicians that make each performance unique.
Read on to discover Goebbels’ insights into this extraordinary staged concert and the inspiration behind it.
OU – Turning Point Ensemble is honoured to present the Canadian premiere of Songs of Wars I Have Seen. Thank you for your help with our production! Can you tell us a bit about how this work first came about with London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment?
HG – It was a commission for those two orchestras at the opportunity of the reopening of the South Bank Centre in London 2007, and I was looking for a common topic of those two fabulous orchestras: of period instruments and contemporary music. I found it in Gertrude Stein’s constant statement in this book: “History is repeating”. And the more we look around what’s going on, it seems to be very true.
OU – Time, both multiple times of the past and present (and perhaps future), is referred to in Stein’s writing and in your music. How did thinking about time influence your composition?
HG – Composing doesn’t work without it.
OU – The texts in your work are all from Gertrude Stein’s 1945 book Wars I Have Seen. What was your fascination with these texts and how did you imagine a musical world in combination with her writings?
HG – I worked with Stein’s Texts before, specially with THE MAKING OF AMERICANS, which is an almost unreadable compendium on American Life over a thousand pages, but it is the musicality of her repetitive writing which fascinated me, because the repetitions demand the reader to make sense out of it. The rose is a rose is a rose….
OU – You have described the piece as a ‘staged concert.’ This is literally true, but the piece seems much more than a concert, presenting a kind of total theatre experience on multiple interacting levels of sound, light, words and music. Do you see it this way also?
HG – I love to think of it just as a concert, but with some unusual elements, which the audience might discover, and the irritation leads to reflection and perhaps to a very personal experience.
OU – Songs of Wars I Have Seen is different every production for a number of reasons. Is there anything special in our Vancouver performance compared to the other productions?
HG – Every performance which has been done in the last 17 years was different, because of the personal almost private character of the instrumentalist’s voices. It is still very unusual that the musicians are responsible for the entire presentation of texts during a concert. Usually that’s what actors are made for, but I wanted a personal involvement, and that’s makes every performance so individual – both for the instrumentalists and for the audience.
OU – Thank you for all your contributions to our production Heiner. We are sorry our performances are at a time when you are not available and hope that we may have an opportunity to do your work again with you present.
HG – Thanks Owen!
Join us on November 30 at 7:30 p.m. and December 1 at 2:30 p.m. at SFU Woodward’s for the Canadian premiere of Heiner Goebbels’ Songs of Wars I Have Seen. Experience this extraordinary staged concert, featuring Gertrude Stein’s reflections on World War II brought to life through music, light, and text. Secure your tickets today!
