The Alchemist / Der Verwandler
Classical Music piece for for mixed chamber choir and orchestra

Vito Žuraj (composer)
Aleš Šteger (libretto)

for mixed chamber choir and orchestra (2018)

Instrumentation: 3(3rd doub. picc.).3.3(1st+2nd+3rd in Bb; 3rd doub. bcl. in Bb).3(3rd doub. cbsn.) – 4.4(all in C).3(1st+2nd tb-trb; 3rd b-trb).1 – 4perc. timp. hrp . cel – 14.12.10.8.6

Duration: 25 min

First performance: 10th February 2019

Festival Eclat 2019

Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany

SWR Symphonieorchester

SWR Vokalensemble

Conductor: Brad Lubman

Choirmaster: Michael Alber

Commissioned by the SWR

Art means making useless things valuable, it’s the magical transformation of excrement into gold.” It is no coincidence that the Slovenian composer Vito Žuraj is fascinated by the life of the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, who was researched by the poet Aleš Šteger. 2019 marks the three hundredth anniversary of Böttger’s death, and Žuraj/Šteger transfer his dubious attempts at “magical transformations” into literature and music.

You can take a look into the fascinating music sheets and listen to parts of the piece on Vito’s web site:
http://www.vitozuraj.com/en/works.php#orche