New Live Project: Pastoral 21

Gabriel is proud to announce a new live project: 'Pastoral 21’ - a one hour musical discourse on the question ‘what does the concept of pastoral mean to us in this time of climate crisis?’. The world premier took place at Espace Saint Marc for the Verbier Festival on 29.07.21 and it is available to stream on both on Medici Tv and Idagio.

Composed for string sextet, live electronics & field recordings, this project started as a response to Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. It opens with the 1st movement of the Beethoven (arranged for sextet), which reminds us of our less troubled relationship with nature 250 years ago. Today of course, the concept of 'Pastoral' is bitter-sweet; we can still experience the beauty of nature, but the traces of humanity and industry are always present, and the spectre of the ever increasing climate crisis is looming...

The concert includes eight pieces from Gabriel’s new album ‘Breaking Screens’ which introduces topics of consumerism, digital life, and impending crisis, and it climaxes with ‘Pastoral Reflections’ a brand new composition which responds to Beethoven’s Pastoral model, using the same themes for each movement but from a very contemporary perspective: pastoral beauty is enjoyed but sadness and uncertainty are also present.