Isenheimer Altar

This woodwind quintet is an impression on 5 details from the Isenheim Altarpiece, painted by Matthias Grünewald around 1512:

It was composed in 2012, in the context of my composition studies in Vigo. At that point I was interested in the emergence of modernism and its relation to late-romantic music, and also particularly on Messiaen’s music.

The work is centered on these 2 ideas, featuring instrument switches in all 5 voices (to piccolo flute, E flat clarinet, english horn and contrabassoon respectively), and some of the techniques that Messiaen explains in his Technique De Mon Langage Musical, with a touch of funk.

The work and media in this post are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Feel free to contact me if you want any more details or you are planning to play it!

Movement 1 (beware of the sudden beginning):

Movement 2:

Movement 3:

Movement 4:

Movement 5: