Das Schiff legt ab op. 73

While accompanying me on a concert tour through South America in 1997, my daughter was inspired by the unique landscape of the Strait of Magellan to write the poem “Überfahrt nach Feuerland” [Crossing to Tierra del Fuego]. The poem immediately fascinated me and I in turn tried to capture my own personal experiences and impressions of this landscape in my musical language.

In doing so, I endeavoured to do justice to the sparseness, the concentration on the essential and the omission of the superfluous that characterises the poem. In this chamber music version, the composition was performed several times and left a profound and lasting impression on listeners and performers alike. I hope it will enjoy the same success in printed form.