Eternal November (curated by Sasha Elina)
November 15 2025
The Swiss Church in London
Eva-Maria Houben (b. 1955) is a composer, organist, pianist and musicologist, born and based in Germany. She is a member of the international group of composers Wandelweiser, which also includes Jürg Frey, Michael Pisaro, Antoine Beuger and others. Her scores have been published by Edition Wandelweiser since 2000, and CDs have been recorded and released through Another Timbre, Irritable Hedgehog and Makro labels. Eva-Maria has been writing and performing works for the organ for over 30 years. Her texts on subjects of contemporary music are widely published by Steiner, PFAU, Edition Howeg, bis-label Oldenburg. Eva-Maria’s works were performed at London Contemporary Music Festival, Cafe OTO, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (England), Issue Music Room, MATA Festival (New York), Counterflows Festival (Glasgow), and more.
don’t cry
just dream;
let the fleeting hour pass by
and the shadows wander around the plant;
surrender to the gentle and continuous movement
of harmony,
which with slow swirls
in a quiet symphony
is rocking the sleeping flowers,
the tall ferns, the water
under the leaves, the birch trees.
(Cécile Sauvage; transl.: Eva-Maria Houben)
The poem by Cécile Sauvage inspired Eva-Maria Houben to compose a series of pieces for different instrumentations, all of which take the title of the poem and are numbered. The piece non pleurer mais rêver 5 (2025) is written for voice, organ and instruments/voices (var.). “The organ creates a space where all other voices and instruments may dwell for a while.”
Performers:
Eva-Maria Houben (organ, piano)
Sasha Elina (voice)
Rhodri Davies (harp)
Artur Vidal (saxophone)
just dream;
let the fleeting hour pass by
and the shadows wander around the plant;
surrender to the gentle and continuous movement
of harmony,
which with slow swirls
in a quiet symphony
is rocking the sleeping flowers,
the tall ferns, the water
under the leaves, the birch trees.
(Cécile Sauvage; transl.: Eva-Maria Houben)
The poem by Cécile Sauvage inspired Eva-Maria Houben to compose a series of pieces for different instrumentations, all of which take the title of the poem and are numbered. The piece non pleurer mais rêver 5 (2025) is written for voice, organ and instruments/voices (var.). “The organ creates a space where all other voices and instruments may dwell for a while.”
Performers:
Eva-Maria Houben (organ, piano)
Sasha Elina (voice)
Rhodri Davies (harp)
Artur Vidal (saxophone)
