SEHNSUCHT

Markus Stockhausen

SEHNSUCHT

for jazz trio
and orchestra

The passacaglia-type theme of this piece suddenly occurred to me. I was looking for a touching melody, something that didn’t scream and shout. The title Sehnsucht (Longing) describes the feeling I have myself when I hear the theme.

The piece develops slowly. This time it is the woodwinds that begin, accompanied by sensitive bass improvisations. The solo flugelhorn then, for a short time, leads to a first melodic theme, livening the atmosphere. It then plays a second theme, before increasing the tension in a fairly long improvisation which ends in a spirited passage for the whole orchestra in unison.

The climax is a drum solo fired on by short interjections from the orchestra. The solo flugelhorn then calms the music down in reverse order, presenting the shortened second theme followed by the first. The piece ends as it started, with longing passacaglia lines in the woodwinds, entwined with delicate improvisations from the solo instruments.

Many thanks go to my friends and colleagues, the great bassist Arild Andersen and the always lively, inventive percussionist Patrice Héral. It has been an honour to share some exciting times together.

Markus Stockhausen, Arild Andersen and Patrice Héral with the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christoph Poppen at the concert in Saarbrücken.

We have produced a double CD from the live recording of the concert that has been released on 5th of june, 2009 under the title SYMPHONIC COLOURS

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Reviews:

• “Dream music takes ears and hearts by storm: The audience [was] torn from their seats, with rapturous bravos and cheers, and moved to ten-minute ovations.” Remscheider Generalanzeiger 22-03-2003 ... read more ...
• “In the equally interesting pieces Choral and Sehnsucht, Stockhausen succeeded in composing an organic and faultless development of the Bruckner-like choral melody. The arrangement for brass instruments was excellent, the double bass and drum solos breathtaking. It seemed here as if Stockhausen's trumpet provided a conciliatory harmonic resolution of the musical tension. Stockhausen's compositions are all ingeniously arranged. They make full use of all timbres and broad textures.” ”Reiner Henn, April 2008 ...read more...