There aren’t many classics by living composers in concert, “In Vain” by Georg Friedrich Haas is one. An avant-garde piece that is also regularly performed by mainstream orchestras in large halls. The composition for 24 players, first performed at the turn of the millennium, begins and ends in complete darkness, a setting that contributes significantly to the exceptional reputation of the piece, as do the final flashes of light and a huge descent of the scales. A seemingly endless band of sound full of sustained tones, microtonality, grinding movements and natural tones takes the listener on a psychedelic journey through space. Where? Presumably to the essence of one’s own ego, to the meaning of life. Haas believes that music can articulate emotional states in ways that other people can accept as theirs.
The excess composer Georg Friedrich Hass on his 70th birthday – Culture
