Champ d' Action - Jonathan Stockhammer - Josse De Pauw

In October 1981, Luigi Nono was invited to compose a second 'Diario Polacca' for the festival Warschauer Herbst. Then 13th December happened: Jaruzelski declared the state of emergency. "The necessity to keep a diary was paramount after these events. Of the friends, from whom I had received the assignment, I heard no more. I dedicate this work to my friends in Poland, who are waiting in exile, in the underground or in prison hoping for better times," Nono writes. For his 'Quando stanno morendo', Massimo Cacciari assembled texts and poems from Eastern Europe, including work by the Pole Czeslaw Milosz, the Russians Boris Pasternak and Vladimir Chlebnikov, and the Hungarian Endre Ady. 'Quando stanno morendo' is literally and figuratively speaking a breath-taking work. The extremely sensitive use of the pianissimo, the twist and tangle of the live electronics and the acoustic instruments, the integration of the sound of breathing and the intimacy of the human voice, interweave into a crystal-clear and intricate texture. Luigi Nono's political and social commitment is expressed in his polemic texts and poetry. The actor Josse De Pauw will peruse a couple of these distinctive writings, direct the whole effort, and join the musicians on stage as a recitalist.