The studio recording of Enno Poppe’s viola concerto Filz is available now on СD. The Wergo production brings the piece’s commissioner Ensemble Resonanz, premiere soloist Tabea Zimmermann, and Poppe himself conducting together once again. Alongside Filz, the album also includes two further commissions for the Hamburger Ensemble – Stoff and Wald. As Reinhard Brembeck put it in the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “This music is unsentimentally rhythmic, it combines moments of minimal music with Stravinsky’s acridity, and so creates rampant soundscapes in glistening light.”

The making-of video offers exciting insights into the collaboration between the soloist, ensemble, and composer in this studio project.

Filz (2013/2014)

for viola and chamber orchestra
vla - 4cl - str (4.4.4.4.2)
WP: 11.04.2015, Vienna

Reviews

"Whoever hears the word 'filz' will be reminded of the face masks currently prescribed everywhere, and with them the political sleaze associated with their procurement.* But the composer Enno Poppe had nothing of the sort in mind when writing his three-part 'Filz' for the magnificent violist Tabea Zimmermann and Ensemble Resonanz, which was already overwhelming in Pergolesi’s Stabat mater. Poppe loves such titles from the material world; the two other pieces he conducts on this CD are called 'Stoff' and 'Wald' (material and forest). This music is unsentimentally rhythmic, it combines moments of minimal music with Stravinsky’s acridity, and so creates rampant soundscapes in glistening light."
Süddeutsche Zeitung, 29.03.2021

"On Enno Poppe – Filz (Wergo) the ensemble documents its longstanding collaboration with Berlin composer Enno Poppe, a master of microtonal string music that never sounds academic, but rather fast-paced and racing. "
Die Zeit, 25.03.2021

* Editor's note: For those in Germany who hear the word “filz,” which means both felt material and – in a political context – sleaze or corruption, the name will not only conjure associations with the facemasks currently prescribed everywhere, but also with the politics of their procurement.

Interview with Tabea Zimmermann

Many prestigious composers wrote works for you. As one can imagine, performing new pieces always means a considerably extra effort. Why do you do this to yourself?

“Extra effort” sounds funny to me! Because I am constantly rehearsing and working on new pieces. I enjoy cracking hard nuts for several reasons. For one thing, it helps me avoid falling into routine. Also there is nothing better than achieving in-depth insight and gaining more experience. I enjoy new music, and because of this I can always also look at well-known music from a new perspective.

Did you and Enno Poppe try out new techniques on your instrument?

We met last winter in Berlin, and we did try out some sounds together back then. Enno Poppe already had a clear idea of a dynamic sound that he was looking for. I remember that I was quite fascinated by how familiar this sound was to the Chinese instrument Erhu.

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Score of Filz