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Contours of an Us (Umrisse eines Wir)
Seven pieces for choir and orchestra
with words of Cyrus Atabay and George W. Bush
(ca. 17-19 min.; comp. 2004; FP 2005)
sopr rec, alto rec, picc, flute, oboe, clar, alto sax, ten sax, bassoon - french horn
in F, trump, tromb -
git, e-bass - 2 four hand pianos, 4 percuss., choir (SATB) - str.
Some instruments can be replaced by others.
Seven pieces – seven different ways to make music together – seven possibilities to understand the shared action in a musical-formal way and,
at the same time, re-relate it to the social relationship among each other. On the one hand, the individual pieces split up familiar musical
coherences and, at the same time, aim at a discovery of certain musical qualities.
In the first piece, a study on tone quality, choir and orchestra meet in a single, fine played tone, a “d” and, in this way, perform their tonal diversity.
In the course of the piece everyone plays in individual tempi. Throughout the piece there is a gradual change of development, which means more
instruments join in step-by-step.
The second piece consists of eleven sections, in which constant chord strains, coming from the choir, shift to a chamber musical, constantly
changing parts of the orchestra. The form of movement changes fundamentally: the choir plays in a combined (here conducted) tempo, the
instruments of the orchestra in an individual tempo.
The third piece introduces fast tone repetitions within the entire orchestra, followed by a “standing” sound. The densities shift because of the
individual tempi; one time the joint outcome is extensively filled, at other times it is transparent, altogether a pattering orchestra tutti.
In the fourth piece short orchestra parts take chamber musically turn with the choir and percussion (without conduction). They are connected
through their way of movement, an upward directed motion. Only the percussion contrasts – though very softly – with stroking and rasping
sounds on the metal instruments. The change takes place individually as a reaction to the heard ending of the previous parts.
The fifth part, again a tutti, starts with an extensive piling up of selective events, which separate slowly from each other through prolongation
in their existing rests, so that single sounds and the instrumental and vocal sounds, of which the mixture consisted, increasingly become noticeable.
In the sixth part a continuous metre unites everyone and everything. There is only the mass, which single impression changes constantly in parts,
without being able to carry out a radical change and without a single part dominating. The high tempo and the massiveness of the metre makes
this piece to a pressurizing, violent listening experience.
The seventh piece is – again in the biggest contrast to the previous piece – a simple four-part setting. The singing of the choir becomes the focus
of attention, accompanied by changing chamber musical instruments, without the percussion.
Those seven pieces are played in context and the fixed order without any breaks in the setting.
I’ve found such a wonderful, precise poetry in the texts by Cyrus Atabay, which comes very close to my idea of music in a way that I took the chance
to set the Bush-Text as a counterpoint.
Cyrus Atabay
(aus: “Das Auftauchen an einem anderen Ort“,
Frankfurt am Main 1977)
[zu Stück 2]
Willst du dir die Worte aufheben
zum Aufrechtgehen an buckligen Tagen,
so hülle sie ein
in schillernde Schleier
aus Zweifel und Zweideutigkeit,
damit kein Alltagsgebet sie erreicht,
oder laß sie ruhen
in Truhen aus Wacholderholz,
weit weg in einer verlassenen Heimat,
wo die Wacholderbüsche nicht zu entwurzeln sind
aus dem herben, steinernen Boden.
[zu Stück 4]
Wir aber wollen uns
an die Brüche halten,
es ist der veränderlichste Teil
unser einziger Teil,
selbst der Granit
traut seiner Härte nicht.
Mag sein,
daß sich ein Schalk
hinter den Vermummungen versteckt;
es wäre ihm nicht zu verdenken,
wenn er sein Haus
(müde der Aufdringlichkeiten)
duch die Hintertür verließe.
George W. Bush
(aus seiner Regierungserklärung vom 20. Januar 2002)
[zu Stück 6 - Im Stück ist der Text wortweise durcheinandergewürfelt.]
Our second goal is to prevent regimes that sponsor
terror from threatening America or our friends and allies with weapons
of mass destruction. Some of these regimes have been pretty quiet since
September the eleventh. But we know their true nature.
North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass
destruction, while starving its citizens. Iran aggressively pursues
these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the
Iranian people's hope for freedom. Iraq continues to flaunt its
hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has
plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over
a decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder
thousands of its own citizens - leaving the bodies of mothers huddled
over their dead children. This is a regime that agreed to international
inspections - then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has
something to hide from the civilized world.
States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of
evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of
mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They
could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match
their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the
United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would
be catastrophic.
Cyrus Atabay
[zu Stück 7]
Von anderer Dauer als Berge,
die wandern voll Ruhe
und unerschütterlich.
Eher eine Schneeflocke,
hingeweht und verzögert,
am Geglückten sich weitertastend,
unterwegs zu dem Treffpunkt
im Unendlichen.
First performance:
2005, June 22nd: Oldenburg;
Choir and orchestra of the Liebfrauenschule Oldenburg,
Mathias Kroll
- conduct.
further performances:
2005, July 2nd: Münster
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