Sandro’s St. Sebastian by Ryan Lindveit
Commissioned by the Akropolis Reed Quintet
Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Vibraphone
7'30"
“When I visited several art museums in various cities in Germany and Austria in 2024, I encountered many consistent themes from Christian iconography. I kept seeing paintings of St. Sebastian, who was tied to a tree by Romans and shot through with arrows because he would not renounce his Christian faith in the 3rd century. As you might expect, many of the painted depictions of this scene are highly dramatic and typically show Sebastian’s face writhing in pain and staring up towards Heaven. It was for these reasons that I was remarkably surprised and moved by my first encounter with Sandro Botticelli’s painting of Saint Sebastian (1474) in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Significantly, the face of Botticelli’s Sebastian betrays no sense of pain, and in fact he peers out at the viewer confidently, perhaps even imperiously. Although this Sebastian has been pierced by several arrows, his determined face and contrapposto posture suggest that his faith is impenetrable. The music in this reed quintet is inspired by my complicated emotional experience of encountering Botticelli's intense and beautiful painting, which engendered feelings of empathetic suffering, pity, admiration, and desire.” ~ Composer Ryan Lindveit
Sandro’s St. Sebastian by Ryan Lindveit
Commissioned by the Akropolis Reed Quintet
Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Vibraphone
7'30"
“When I visited several art museums in various cities in Germany and Austria in 2024, I encountered many consistent themes from Christian iconography. I kept seeing paintings of St. Sebastian, who was tied to a tree by Romans and shot through with arrows because he would not renounce his Christian faith in the 3rd century. As you might expect, many of the painted depictions of this scene are highly dramatic and typically show Sebastian’s face writhing in pain and staring up towards Heaven. It was for these reasons that I was remarkably surprised and moved by my first encounter with Sandro Botticelli’s painting of Saint Sebastian (1474) in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Significantly, the face of Botticelli’s Sebastian betrays no sense of pain, and in fact he peers out at the viewer confidently, perhaps even imperiously. Although this Sebastian has been pierced by several arrows, his determined face and contrapposto posture suggest that his faith is impenetrable. The music in this reed quintet is inspired by my complicated emotional experience of encountering Botticelli's intense and beautiful painting, which engendered feelings of empathetic suffering, pity, admiration, and desire.” ~ Composer Ryan Lindveit
