Per i concerti dello scorso ottobre ad Aquisgrana (Germania) in occasione dei quarant'anni di attività della LUX-Orchester, il sassofonista e compositore Heribert Leuchter ha riportato in scena un suo lavoro presentato parecchi anni prima, nei mesi dell'Expo 2000 ad Hannover, ispirato ai temi della spiritualità e della coscienza morale così come rintracciati in antichi testi egizi, negli insegnamenti di induismo e sufismo, e nelle moderne liriche di Paul Celan e Oscar Wilde tra gli altri, interpretati da Kate Westbrook. Delle quindici esibizioni dal vivo allora effettuate presso il Christus Pavillon, spazio multiculturale e multireligioso posto al centro dell'Esposizione, le ultime due vennero registrate ed è da quelle registrazioni che proviene oggi l'album KlangWeltReligion, pubblicato da Luxaries Records per festeggiare l'anniversario dell'Orchester e disponibile tramite Westbrook Records.
Così ne scrisse all'epoca Mike Westbrook: "KlangWeltReligion is a 75-minute meditation on man's spiritual search. Musically it consists of a sequence of themes, all of which bear the composer's distinctive melodic stamp, including several glorious ballads. These are linked by passages of improvisation. Each theme is associated with a specific text - the texts, sacred or secular, being drawn from different cultures and eras. All are performed in German, or in German translation, with two of them also in English.Working from the same outline as the instrumentalists, Kate is largely responsible for the way in which the texts are delivered, whether sung ot spoken, set or improvised. Kate tackles the enormously diverse lyrics unflinchingly, with characteristic candour and lack of artifice. From her opening incantation Hymnus (from the time of Ramses IX) to the lyrical Neigung zur Liebe (Rabiah Al-Adawiyya), from the extrovert Obersfe Erkenntnis (Bhagavad-Gita) to the almost unbearably poignant Requiescat (Oscar Wilde), from the delightful, throw-away Doch ich weiß to the solemn Mysterium (both by Rose Ausländer) Kate fashions a meaningful scenario for this spiritual journey.The music meanwhile is a rich tapestry of broad unison themes, pristine solos and dense textural improvisation. lt is full of all kinds of musical references and fortuitous juxtapositions - a moment of bottleneck guitar, incisive tablas against Hammond organ drone, a duet for drums and musical saw, and many more. There is little written arrangement - something that forces the musicians to listen to each other and be aware of their place in the collective sound, rather than relying on a prearranged script. lf this leads at times to indecision, this must be taken as an integral part of the creative process."
https://heribert-leuchter.de
https://westbrookjazz.co.uk/katewestbrook/kwr-cd.shtml
https://westbrookjazz.co.uk/smithsboard/Jan2023.shtml#klang
https://katewestbrook.bandcamp.com/album/klangweltreligion