Chorbuch, Les Inventions d'Adolphe Sax Mauricio Kagel

• 1Chorbuch 701:47
• 2Chorbuch 1001:49
• 3Chorbuch 1301:02
• 4Chorbuch 1401:18
• 5Chorbuch 1501:44
• 6Chorbuch 1701:54
• 7Chorbuch 1901:43
• 8Chorbuch 2101:13
• 9Chorbuch 2402:20
• 10Chorbuch 2801:20
• 11Chorbuch 3102:15
• 12Chorbuch 3201:05
• 13Chorbuch 3802:09
• 14Chorbuch 3902:05
• 15Chorbuch 4002:01
• 16Chorbuch 4103:15
• 17Les Inventions d’Adolphe Sax24:14
• Total Runtime53:14

Info for Chorbuch, Les Inventions d'Adolphe Sax

The production 'Chorbuch' and 'Les Inventions d' Adolphe Sax', recorded in December 2007, is Mauricio Kagel’s last recording. Because of Kagel’s unexpected death in the year 2008 the release was delayed. The centrepiece of the album, 'Les Inventions d' Adolphe Sax', were commissioned by the Nederlands Kamerkoor, who invited the acclaimed Raschèr Quartet. As a premiere recording and with Kagel’s artistic participation a masterpiece was created. The Nederlands Kamerkoor and Mauricio Kagel are closely connected through outstanding artistic collaboration and unique shared experiences. At the end of the recording choir director Leo Samama makes a funny snapshot with the megaphone“-choir. In the middle – completely covered by his megaphone – sits the composer. The artist Ursula Burghardt, Mauricio Kagel’s wive, has created the images, which are used as the artwork for this release.

Nederlands Kamerkoor
Cor de Jong
Sepp Grotenhuis
Klaas Stok
The Rascher Saxophone Quartet:
Kenneth Coon, Baritonsaxophon
Bruce Weinberger, Tenorsaxophon
Christine Rall, Sopransaxophon
Elliot Riley, Altsaxophon

More about the album:
'Chorbuch, Les Inventions d’Adolphe Sax' is the last production involving Mauricio Kagel, and his tenth in collaboration with Winter & Winter. Kagel conducts 'Chorbuch', and even contributes his own unmistakeable voice to 'Chorbuch 10'. The recordings are made at the end of 2007, and 2008 sees the death of Mauricio Kagel, one of the most significant artists of our time, who has set new standards not just with outstanding compositions, but also with numerous wonderful works for film.

One should say here that Kagel’s wife Ursula Burghardt, who dies a few days after him, is an artist who has not only left us unique pictures, but has already made set designs for films by Kagel such as »Ludwig van«, and has made works available for this album. Shortly after Kagel’s death we discuss this album.

The realisation of this recording is of particular importance to me, so I thank the Kagel-Burghardt Foundation for its help in enabling this work.

This recording is also of quite particular importance for Leo Samama, the director of the Nederlands Kammerkoor: “Ever since my fine experiences with Mauricio Kagel at the Residentie Orkest in The Hague (with Oliver Knussen conducting), it was indispensable to me that I should also invite Kagel to the Nederlands Kammerkoor and commission a composition from him. Shortly after another splendid collaboration, with the Schönberg Ensemble and Reinbert de Leeuw (»Quirinus’ Liebeskuss«, Winter & Winter CD Nr. 910 126-2), Kagel hands over »Les Inventions d’Adolphe Sax« to the Nederlands Kammerkoor and the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet. For quite some time, Kagel had also wanted to conduct the Nederlands Kammerkoor in a recording of parts of »Chorbuch«. So in December 2007 we recorded both works in Amsterdam. On the final day, December 22nd, Kagel decided to sing a part of »Chorbuch« himself, so that’s what happened! Immediately after that my wife and I drove with Kagel to Cologne to celebrate his birthday with his family – his last birthday…”

The idea of creating a special canon with an artist pervades the work of Winter & Winter. »Chorbuch, Les Inventions d’Adolphe Sax« is a further part of the canon of Mauricio Kagel and the Nederlands Kammerkoor, which was not just involved in »Quirinus’ Liebeskuss«, but also in the music by Ernst Reijseger for Werner Herzog’s film »Cave of Forgotten Dreams« (Winter & Winter CD Nr. 910 181-2) . And this just closes the circle, since back in 1992 Kagel and Herzog had already co-produced “Varieté” at the Hebbel-Theater in Berlin, to celebrate Kagel’s 60th birthday. (Stefan Winter)



The 53 numbers of the present work were derived from the eponymous chorales by J.S. Bach. However, this only applies to the parts for the two keyboard instruments. These make use of a composition method that I would like to call ‘non-linear transposition’: If one were to represent the key of a piece as a straight line, the related non-linear transpositions would not run in parallel either above or below this reference line, but in smooth curves, or jagged broken lines.

So in Chorbuch, as a rule, each piano or harmonium chord has a transposition interval in relation to the key of the original chorale that is different to that of the chords that immediately precede and follow it.

The vocal part bears no musical relation to the Bach chorales, but uses the same texts.

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