05/08/1998 - Nürtingen (Germany), International Guitar Festival
Five short stories in five movements, five climates diametrically opposed to each other, ranging from an impressionist ambience to exotic oriental perfumes (not forgetting the mobile phone incident!), go to make up the highly-coloured work that is Hamsa.
It was premiered on 5 August 1998 at the International Festival of Nürtingen in Germany, and then received another performance at the Opéra-Comédie de Montpellier, where the sight and sound of 65 guitarists on stage will long remain in the memories of those present.
Call it "classical crossover" or "world chamber music" as you will this work, centred around the idea of five, seems to match the world we live in today, multi-coloured and multi-layered.
Roland Dyens
