"As soon as you add the voice to the cello, it transforms. I learned classical cello: Bach, etudes etc., that was really an adventure. But singing took me to an even more magical place." (Abel Selaocoe)
Forget everything you might think about cello and singing, the South African Abel Selaocoe, winner of the Opus Klassik Prize 2023, surpasses all expectations. Not only does he play and improvise fabulously on the cello and move effortlessly through all vocal registers, he also brings a completely new kind of universal musicality to the stage with African overtone singing and body percussion that is simply captivating. "Captivating, multi-layered, irresistible" is the Guardian's headline for Abel Selaocoe's CD "Where is Home". A perfect match for the SKO, which also has the Haydn-inspired cult piece "Entr'acte" by New Yorker Caroline Shaw on the program as well as the "Hirta-Rounds" by Irish composer David Fennessy about a now deserted northern Scottish island and "When we were trees" by Italian composer Giovanni Sollima, a post-minimalist series of pieces for two cellos and orchestra with a Mediterranean-oriental flair.
Prelude: 19:30 Artist talk
Concert: 60 min
Conclusion: Afterglow in the foyer with live music and bar service
Performers
Abel Selaocoe. Violoncello & vocals
Sidiki Dembele. percussion
Nikolaus von Bülow. Violoncello
Susanne von Gutzeit. Conductor
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Program
Caroline Shaw
Entr'acte
Abel Selaocoe
Own compositions
David Fennessy
Hirta-Rounds
Giovanni Sollima
When we were trees