SONARLOFT: BLACK ANGELS / WHOLE NEW WORLD
In Black Angels: Whole New World, Sonar Quartett delves deeply into the heart of George Crumb’s seminal work Black Angels. Written at a the height of the Vietnam War, Black Angels reflects on the horrors of war, and in Crumb’s own words, “portrays a voyage of the soul… Departure (fall from grace), Absence (spiritual annihilation), and Return (redemption)”. In 2025, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Sonar Quartett invites the listener to embark on an expanded ‘voyage of the soul’, to reflect on where we have come from, where we stand today, and where we are heading as a species. We will cross time, continents and genres, even venturing into the galaxies.
In the immortal words of Blade Runner’s Roy Batty: “I've seen things, you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”
PROGRAMME TO INCLUDE (all works arr. Sonar Quartett, except for Black Angels)
George Crumb: Black Angels
Björk: Ancestors
Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time, “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus”
Vangelis: Tears in Rain (from Blade Runner)
SOPHIE: Whole New World/Pretend World
Jlin: Guantanamo
Kraftwerk: Europe Endless
John Cage: 4’33