The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will once again explore the music of the latter years of the 20th century. This time, the artists will present Aribert Reimann’s symphonic song cycle, Finite Infinity, with lyrics by Emily Dickinson. Marisol Montalvo will perform the soprano part, and Gábor Káli will conduct the whole. An unforgettable evening of poetic and musical experiences awaits. Can the powers of artistic imagination capture the titular paradox?
Aribert Reimann, who passed away in 2024, was a Berlin-born pianist who became renowned primarily as a lieder specialist. Throughout his career, he enjoyed collaborations with such masters of singing as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. As a composer, he focused primarily on vocal and instrumental repertoire, as evidenced by his nine operas. The song cycle, Finite Infinity, premiered in Zurich in 1996. Reimann based it on seven intriguing poems by Dickinson, who achieved fame only after her death. The narrative takes on a compact form, performed attaca.
Emily Dickinson lived in self-imposed isolation in her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts, and few contemporaries knew of her work. Perhaps this is why her poetry revolves around themes of death and loneliness. In the German pianist’s setting, the orchestral parts sometimes create indeterminate clouds of sound, sometimes speak with decisive gestures. The artfully crafted accompaniment murmurs, sparkles, and also sweeps away with hurricane force. The vocal part is incredibly demanding, encompassing complex rhythms and challenging intervals across the entire range, which facilitates the expression of the poet’s paradoxical thoughts. The central element of the cycle is an elegy addressed to her lover.