In response to a commission for the Collegium Vocale from the Cologne Rheinische Musikschule, Stockhausen was inspired by his recent trip to Mexico to write Stimmung (1968). Over the course of a month, his interest in and subsequent exploration of the Mayan and Aztec ruins, as well as the rituals that took place there, led him to try to imagine himself as part of those people, attending their ceremonies. On his return, when he settled with his family on Long Island, he set down in music his relationship with the architecture of the temples – rising up into the sky and with faces inspiring peacefulness or abrupt change.

Gulbenkian Choir Soloists
Verónica Silva Soprano
Rosa Caldeira Soprano
Joana Esteves Alto
Frederico Projecto Tenor
João Afonso Tenor
Pedro Casanova Bass
Pedro Amaral Artistic direction
Jorge Matta Musical assistance
Fábio Cachão Musical assistance

Karlheinz Stockhausen
Stimmung