Blue in blue in blue

Humanity has reached the 21st century, but have we come closer to understanding the divine, have we established harmony with the world? Song of the Earth, the theme of the 2022 Stiftfestival, questions humanity’s sense of self and its place on this earth. The iconic, fascinating and moving ‘Vox Balaenae’ by George Crumb, who died this year, is inspired by the almost unearthly song of the whale. The musicians have to wear masks to minimise human influence and are bathed in blue light.

A new piece by Maxim Shalygin, Blue in blue blue, commissioned by the Stiftfestival, is dedicated to George Crumb and expresses the composer’s perspective on the phenomenon of ‘Vox Balaenae’. The new work is in line with Shalygin’s previous works in which he reflects on world problems such as climate change, Covid-19, the life cycle and the vulnerability and responsibility of our generation. In an audiovisual work, Angel (2020), the image of the whale is combined with the background of an archive video of nuclear tests in Bikini Atoll. In Severade (2021), audio recordings of a crying baby resonate with a singing whale.