Interview Release “A World Symphony
From Music Arena Gh
The Orchestra of Cultures is a unique orchestra composed of instruments from all over the world, dedicated to the invention of a new genre: global symphonic music ( Symphonic World Music ).
Universal Music MENA has released our new album “A World Symphony”.
Singers from different ethnic groups, ethnic instruments, a rhythm section and classical orchestral instruments.
Read on to learn more about this classic group and their new album.
What is your name ?
I am Adrian Sebastian Werum. My orchestra is called the “Orchestra of Cultures”.
What are you doing ?
I am a composer, conductor and pianist who founded his own orchestra 11 years ago.
How did you come to do what you do ?
A mixture of passion and family tradition led me to music. My mother, who is from Silesia, which is now part of Poland, loved Chopin. My father always dreamed of becoming a musician and playing the organ in our church. He was also my first piano teacher.
To which area or genre does your music belong ? Briefly describe your background.
First, I received formal classical music training. My main instrument has always been the piano,
but even as a teenager I played violin in our school orchestra and took composition lessons at my local conservatory. During my studies in Vienna I was more involved with playing in bands, musical theater, writing for television and jazz. While I lived with several musically inclined roommates, we threw great parties, which was an opportunity not only to accompany many great singers, but also to launch a career in musical theater. After a few years teaching at a musical school, I began conducting at one of the larger theaters in Vienna, and at the age of 27 I became musical director of Roman Polanski’s musical adaptation of “Dance of the Vampires.
Who or what inspires you? And why?
Music itself is a great inspiration for me, especially the works of other composers I love and appreciate.
It is also an indescribable joy to bring people together through music, starting with my orchestra, which is a wonderful microcosm of humanity in all its diversity and beauty.
What was your first project, which people did you work with and in which year?
The orchestra came together in 2010 and played its first concert in a Turkish wedding hall on the outskirts of Stuttgart – in keeping with our intercultural profile, we also offered a buffet with culinary specialties from around the world.
How many projects have you done so far?
Since then, we have made regular appearances in southern Germany: SIXT SE, the largest car rental company in Europe, commissioned us to create a text.
SIXT SE, the largest car rental company in Europe, commissioned us to write and perform 2 symphonies for them, which we premiered in Munich and Davos / Switzerland. With the renowned cellist Laszlo Fenyö we have created new works for cello and orchestra. Another project very close to our hearts is “Spirit of One” & “Mass of Cultures”, a musical and spiritual project that combines the mystical traditions of different religious traditions. The wave of refugees from Syria in 2016 inspired us to create our first musical, “Symphony of Our Lives,” which traces the fate of a refugee family in their new home in Germany, and the oratorio “Symphony of Cultures” Our history of recording collaborations began with albums for Rhimoy Beijing and
by Indonesian jazz pianist Deviana Daudsja, followed by 3 albums with crossover tenor Jay Alexander that repeatedly topped the German classical charts, and the premiere of “Misa Latina,” a new work by Ecuadorian composer Christian Mejia.
What do you look for in this industry?
Having been congratulated on my final breakthrough several times in my life, I’m more than happy to keep making music with such great people. If others enjoy the music and if we can be the inspiration for a new way of living together on this planet: so much the better.
Have you won any awards or been nominated for any awards?
In addition to our 3 albums in the top ten of the German classical music charts, we received the Manfred Romme Prize in Stuttgart for an exemplary intercultural project. As a composer, I have also won the Ernst Fischer Prize of the German Broadcasting Corporation for entertaining orchestral music.
What is this new release about?
The first Corona year gave us the opportunity to focus all our energy on this album, with which we finally produced our music the way we always wanted it. We want to take the listener on a journey through the soundscape of our orchestra and thus through the whole world. We also wanted to give an overview of our favorite works of the last 10 years and at the same time a preview of what is still to come
is possible.
Who and how many people worked on it?
All of our 39 musicians are featured on the album, plus we invited 7 singers, including Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme and tenor Jay Alexander. We recorded the rhythm section and the ethnic instruments at Kleine Audiowelt in Heidelberg. For the recording of the orchestra we were in the
Hans Rosbaud Hall of SWR Baden-Baden, which has hosted many famous recordings of the SWR Orchestra and Igor Stravinsky.
What can your existing and new listeners expect from you in the future?
We hope that we can continue to build on the level we have now reached and continue to surprise, both with new
works and with new collaborations.