GOETIA – In umbra lucis (Lera Auerbach): an Overview by Polska Muza (polskamuza.eu)
Photos taken at the Siemiradzki Hall at the 19th Century Polish Art Gallery located inside the Cloth Hall building, a branch of the National Museum in Kraków. © Photos by Bogumił Krużel
On the occasion of International Music Day (October 1, 2020) at the 19th Century Polish Art Gallery in Sukiennice, the vocal ensemble Cracow Singers and the Silesian Quartet performed the Polish premiere of Goetia – in umbra lucis, a piece by the Russian-American composer Lera Auerbach. It was the natural continuation of the composition presented by Cracow Singers in 2017. Back then Lera Auerbach opus for choir and quartet of saxophones, 72 Angels – In splendore lucis represented 72 angels. This one represented 72 demons.
The Cracow Singers ensemble and the Silesian Quartet under the direction of Karol Kusz found themselves perfectly in the highly emotional world of Lera Auerbach’s music, which in a strange but harmonious way combines various musical threads, predominantly music from various religions and cults of the Middle East. Taping into the seventeenth-century books of magical knowledge and ancient legends about King Solomon ruling over demons, Auerbach created 72 musical images of spirits to captivate and constantly engage with the audience. The extense and varied expressions in the ensemble (wonderful soloists, members of the choir: Wassim Ibrahim from Syria, but also Rebecca Palmer, Matylda Staśto-Kotula, Jakub Borowczyk and Łukasz Dziuba) kept music lovers in suspense for nearly an hour and a half. We were in a strange and at the same time wonderful world of spiritual experiences. A phenomenon which cannot be overestimated during a pandemic.
Syrian composer and Multicultural Amabssador of Kraków, Wassim Ibrahim, opened the evening with an oud prelude based on Aramaic music from the Mesopotamia and Leavnt region. The improvisation followed the Orient Middle Eastern style based on oriental scales or maqams. He also performed as a guest singer with Cracow Singers for the evening.
Lera Auerbach (Russia, 1973)
