A recently rediscovered masterpiece among Giacinto Scelsi’s (1905–1988) archives will soon have its world premiere. [Kamakala] was written in 1955-56 and will be played for the first time on January 26, 2014, in Berlin.

[Kamakala] was written during a period of reflection and experimentation that would lead Scelsi to his very personal style, shown in Quattro pezzi (ciascuno su una nota sola) (1959). Organized in three movements for an orchestra without flutes, oboes, or violins, [Kamakala], the place of desire, the art of desire, reveals in its title the composer’s strong interest in Eastern disciplines and philosophies.

The history of this work is very special: fully completed, never published, it remained in the maestro’s archives for decades, unheard. The score is now available through the careful work done by Éditions Salabert in collaboration with the Fondazione Isabella Scelsi of Rome.

The world premiere is part of the Ultraschall Festival. [Kamakala] will be played by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Picture: DSO Berlin at Berliner Philharmonie with Sokhiev, photo by Urban Zintel) and conducted by Lothar Zagrosek.