Spanning centuries of music, the program contemplates the end of civilization with works including Heinrich Biber’s Battalia à 10, evoking the chaos of war, and George Crumb’s Black Angels, a searing critique of the Vietnam War. Dies Irae, which has toured the world including the Lucerne Festival, Ojai Festival, and Southbank Centre to great acclaim, is a bold, unflinching exploration of today’s most urgent global issues, pushing the boundaries of classical music to challenge our understanding of the world and our role in shaping its future. Part concert, part installation, this multimedia work conceived by violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja merges a fierce musical enactment of the day of judgment with a sharp critique of war and the climate crisis as drivers of our self-destruction, weaving together the compositions of GIACINTO SCELSI, HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ BIBER, GEORGE CRUMB, JIMI HENDRIX, ANTONIO LOTTI, JOHN DOWLAND, and GALINA USTVOLSKAYA to evoke a haunting final “day of wrath.”
Author: Princeton University
Published at: 2026-03-19 23:38:48
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