In a jar in an ancient cemetery in Egypt in 1945, three brothers found a collection of enigmatic texts from the early days of Christianity, the so-called ‘Nag Hammadi scriptures’. They inspired a cycle of four pieces that Austrian composer Bernhard Lang composed especially for Nadar Ensemble. The main character is a female divine figure who, through paradoxical statements, summons her listeners to return to the ‘true’ life from a state of folly. Hermetika is a haunting eclectic cycle along several locations where both the heavenly and the hellish coexist.
Hermetika IX was commissioned by Concertgebouw Brugge.
Bernhard Lang: Hermetika IX – Vox Angeli II
Parts: Osculetur me – Nigra Sum – Le Tonnerre – The Angels Song
Marieke Berendsen, violin and scenography – Nico Couck, e-guitar, Katrien Gaelens, flute – Yves Goemaere, percussion – Robin Goossens, business manager – Jasmijn Lootens, cello – Pieter Matthynssens, artistic director – Elisa Medinilla, keyboard – Els Mondelaers, voice – Thomas Moore, trombone – Dries Tack, clarinet – Veerle Vervoort, production leader
Texts can be downloaded here: