WORK OF THE WEEK – STEFAN HEUCKE: CONCERTO GROSSO NR. 2 „LA NUOVA FOLLIA“

15 Aug 2022

A piece of multiple tunings! With his Concerto grosso No. 2 "La nuova follia", Stefan Heucke unites two orchestras of different eras on one stage, featuring instruments of the 18th century and instruments of the 20th century. This ground-breaking composition receives its premiere at the Trinity Episcopal Church as part of the Staunton Music Festival, Virginia, with the Staunton Festival Orchestra under the musical direction of Carsten Schmidt.

Two Orchestras, Two Centuries, One Composition - Stefan Heucke's Concerto grosso No. 2 "La nuova follia"

The ritual of tuning orchestral instruments achieves and maintains a desired mood within a musical performance. In Heucke's Concerto grosso No. 2 "La nuova follia", two orchestras sit opposite each other with two juxtaposing tunings. One orchestra tunes its instruments, including a harpsichord, to 415 Hz, the other, which uses a concert grand, tunes to 440 Hz. Throughout Concerto grosso No. 2 "La nuova follia" the orchestras play both separately and simultaneously, the sounds pushing not only apart but also towards each other, forming a complex system of sound. Heucke composes a theme and 32 variations on the well-known follia model previously used by composers such as Corelli, Handel and Bach. This connection between old and new forms the basis of the work. moving

One can understand the piece as a new follia with a sense of foolishness or perhaps with a deeper seriousness, Who knows? Stefan Heucke

The score and orchestral parts of Concerto grosso No. 2 "La nuova follia" are available as hire material in Schott Music's new online shop. There you will also find other compositions which fuse contrasting compositional styles and instrumentation, such as flekkicht by Benjamin Schweitzer and the second version of Chaya Czernowin's Excavated Dialogues.