The Graz Easter Festival PSALM is a child of the last big bang that the city of Graz made in the international art concert, one of the children of the "Graz 2003 - European Capital of Culture" project that is still flourishing today. In the 22 years of its existence, PSALM has always had a center, the middle of the season of Easter and Passover, in which there is a defining moment, the end of one cycle, and the new beginning of the next, one can also simply say: death and resurrection. PSALM has often and gladly moved far away from its religious roots and told the Easter story in completely secular images. But the PSALM stories have always revolved around the cycle of life, which reaches such a striking point at Easter, the point of a new beginning. So why not make the cycle itself the content of the story? This is what PSALM has decided to do for 2024, a leap year, and has named the 2024 Easter Festival (March 24 to April 1) "Circles of Life". The leap year in itself tells the story of how difficult it can be to synchronize the various cycles of nature, the course of the sun, the course of the moon and the course of the day.
PSALM 2024 tells stories of the very close cycles of life, from its birth in the womb of the mother, to the very distant ones, from the birth of entire galaxies in the universe. PSALM tells stories of the cycle that shapes people in our latitudes the most, of the solar year, of the seasons, and PSALM tells stories of the competing star, the moon, which makes the month, which controls the tides as well as the fertility cycle of women. PSALM also tells a very happy message with its stories about the circularity of life: month after month, year after year, we have the recurring opportunity to leave old mistakes behind us and press the reset button. And in the middle, on the night of Maundy Thursday, when Lord Jesus asks his disciples to keep watch with him, PSALM also invites us to stay awake, "Awake with Bach": the divine piano cycles of Johann Sebastian Bach make short work of a long night.
Cuncordu e Tenore de Orosei, photo di Antonio Farris
PSALM 2024 offers nine concert projects:
Eight one-part concerts lasting around 65 to 80 minutes will be performed in the Helmut List Halle at 7 p.m., and once a long Bach evening lasting at least four hours will be offered in the magnificent Palais Attems. PSALM opens its concert series with two projects, one exploring the cycles of our lives and the other the manifold circles of the universe.
Lorenz Maierhofer imagined the story of the still unborn "CLARA" and also composed, wrote and illustrated it. While still in her mother's womb, CLARA reflects and imagines her origins and her progress in life. Yvonne Klamant and Christoph Steiner lend their narrative voices to this story of happiness, and the HIB.art.chor will perform the music on Palm Sunday, March 24, at the official premiere of the complete version.
Astrophysicist Arnold Hanslmeier takes us into the vastness of the universe with fantastic images and his findings on the question of where "XXX - OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE" is located. STUDIO PERCUSSION Graz leads the way there with varied rhythms and music, nine pieces that were all newly composed for this project and will therefore be premiered at PSALM: Monday, March 25.
Seasonal cycle
On Tuesday, March 26, we will travel musically to Sardinia and to the tenors of Concordu e Tenore de Orosai, who will set the Easter season and the "SARDIC SPRING" to music with their truly archaic songs.
Gypsy Devils © Gypsy Devils
The Gypsy Devils from Slovakia make you feel the "PANNONIAN SUMMER" with the help of shimmering violin tones, clarinet and cymbal when they heat things up with Carmen, Roma hymns or Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5: Wednesday, March 27.
The next day, we are already in "STEIRISCHE HERBST". Who better than Hermann Härtel and his Citoller Tanzgeiger, this time expanded to XXL format with children and cones, to celebrate the season of wine with yodels, Schleunigen, polkas and waltzes? Let's go on the day of the Last Supper, Maundy Thursday, March 28.
On Good Friday, March 29, PSALM will then be drawn into the "SCANDINAVIAN WINTER". Petter Udland Johansen will bring this to life together with his companion Arianna Savall and their ensemble Hirundo maris. With Norwegian winter songs, medieval ballads and finally Edvard Grieg's "Våren", which summons spring again in the annual cycle.
Night concert
"WACH MIT BACH" (Awake with Bach) is what the audience will be sure of when Eva Maria Pollerus prevents them from sleeping and cheers them up at the same time for more than four hours on Maundy Thursday, March 28, from 10 p.m. in the Styriarte Studio in Palais Attems with the great piano cycles by Johann Sebastian Bach on harpsichord and clavichord. Following the example of the harpsichordist Goldberg, for whom Bach composed his famous variations.
Kristina Miller © Nikola Milatovic
Sun and moon
The seven self-confident artists of the vocal ensemble AFRIKA MAMAS will sing and dance about the difficult yet joyful life of single mothers under the South African sun on Easter Sunday, March 31, before concluding on Easter Monday, April 1, with the master pianist Kristina Miller taking a look at Bellini's Norma, the high priestess of the moon goddess in Franz Liszt's arrangement and turning "TO THE MOON" with further pieces from Debussy to Oscar Peterson.
