Maurizio Kagel (1931-2008)

Motetten voor cello octet Conjunto Ibérico voor November Music 2005  ’ s-Hertogenbosch

In “Motetten,” I tried to weld together the old contrasts between cantabile, the ideal realization of the vocal, and sonabile, the epitome of the instrumental. What instrument could be better suited to this than the cello, the only one that reflects the exact range of the human voice? With it, what is singable is just as natural as all the characteristics that can only be imagined in terms of instruments. The result is all kinds of dialogues within a musical texture that, like a kaleidoscope, can change instantly from monochrome to a polyphony of colors. “Motetten” is dedicated to Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico (now the Amsterdam Cello Octet), with thanks to November Music and the Eduard van Beinum Foundation. -Mauricio Kagel