Tarde

In five short pieces displaying a wide variety in character, tempo and orchestral scoring, the vocal line without text alternately takes on a leading role or is closely interwoven with the orchestral instruments and constitutes an individual element which is not utilised in the manner of an instrument. At points where the orchestral instruments reveal the limits of their tonal nuances and expressive ability due to their individual nature, this is where the singing of the human voice takes over: all vibrations emanating from the interior of the psyche, the emotions and the entire spectrum of moods are recreated directly in the vocal line which dispenses with words and displays its extensive palette of emotional content, rich tonal colouring and dynamic gradation. And yet these five vocal pieces without text resonate with all that is behind and between the four lines of the poem Tarde. The poem only appears as a sung text in a final vocal movement, unfolding in a simple vocal line without sweeping structures or coloratura but with its melodic encapsulation of the tonal material which permeates all movements of this work. Aribert Reimann