Concert: Traffic

Sarah Maria Sun, soprano
Simone Zgraggen, violin
Titus Engel, conductor
Basel Sinfonietta

Mauricio Kagel: “A Breeze: Fleeting Action for 111 Cyclists”
Arthur Honegger: “Pacific 231”
György Ligeti: “Car Horn Prelude,” “Mysteries of the Macabre”
Alban Berg: Violin Concerto “In Memory of an Angel”
Gemma Ragués Pujol: NN | World Premiere
John Adams: “Short Ride in a Fast Machine”

With support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

Surrounded by vintage car charm and automotive history, the Pantheon becomes the setting for a dynamic concert program centered on music and mobility. And it’s not just car enthusiasts who will be in for a treat: the journey extends beyond the asphalt to railways and bike paths.

At the start of the concert, the audience members outside will themselves become a mobile ensemble: as part of Mauricio Kagel’s “A Breeze: Fleeting Action for 111 Cyclists,” a portion of the audience will ride in on bicycles—ringing bells and jingling—as the music begins. Inside the museum, the program continues with Arthur Honegger’s “Pacific 231,” an impressive homage to the steam locomotive, whose sheer power and rhythm become physically palpable. This industrial soundscape is contrasted by the nervous energy of modernism: John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” sends the orchestra roaring off on a breakneck ride. Inspired by the composer’s equally fascinating and unsettling experience in a sports car, the piece races forward relentlessly.

Things take a whimsical turn with two pieces by György Ligeti: For example, the “Car Horn Prelude” from the opera “Le Grand Macabre” uses car horns as instruments. For the orchestral version of this very opera, “Mysteries of the Macabre,” we were thrilled to have German soprano Sarah Maria Sun on board. In the violin concerto by car enthusiast Alban Berg, however, a talent from our own ranks shines: our concertmaster, Simone Zgraggen, takes on the solo part and lends this profound work, titled “In Memory of an Angel,” a very personal touch.

The centerpiece of the program is the evening’s world premiere: Gemma Ragués Pujol has composed a new work specifically for the Pantheon. Guided by the theme “Cause and Effect,” she explores the acoustic mechanics of classic cars as well as the architectural features of the space. The composition thus not only uses the museum as a backdrop but also makes the space itself resonate.


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.