No 1 from the Impressions series commissioned by the Van Abbemuseum.

How can music and art represent the drama of sexual repression?

Nilbar Güreş explores this important topic in a theatrical, symbolic, and playful way. Her painting features a few vivid and meaningful symbols: A deer having sex with a pommel horse, a hummingbird gathering nectar from a flower under a rainbow, all surrounded by incomplete floral ornaments. Rich in diverse elements and personages, this artwork obtains a remarkable potential for a musical interpretation. In his musical response to such active narration, Sachit builds his own story. The music reflects upon the drama of being rejected by society because of sexual identity, as well as the trials and tribulations of finding some peace in the midst. Within a clear and accessible ternary music form, Sachit employs his instruments (voice, piano, cello) in unconventional and surprising ways. Full of wild energy, his piece speaks about the isolation and angst felt when one is viewed as an aberration by society.

Text: Asja Zakhareva, Sachit Ajmani

Composer: Sachit Ajmani

Performers: Kristine Paseka (soprano), Eleonora Yung (cello), Sachit Ajmani (piano)

Project curation: Asja Zakhareva

Studio and recording assistance provided by Louis van Eeten and Conservatorium Maastricht.

Impressions 1: ‘Queer Desire is Wild; I am a Deer’ by Nilbar Güreş

No 3 from the Impressions series commissioned by the Van Abbemuseum.

Compositie XIV by Piet Mondriaan captures his style in a phase of transition. In search of his artistic identity, Mondriaan makes a clear reference to cubism with its volumetric geometry and varied, sophisticated colours. However, not depicting even a part of any recognizable object, he steps into the territory of pure abstraction – his future credo. Such artwork, with no explicit narration or dramaturgy, poses an interesting challenge when creating a musical reflection, that Sachit dares to accept. In his letter to the Dutch painter H.P. Bremmer Mondriaan mentions that his works bring vertical and horizontal lines together with other forms “to harmony and rhythm”. Indeed, the texture of Compositie XIV with its repetitive rectangular coloured shapes framed with black lines suggests a rhythmic impulse. The consciously limited, but still rich palette of gentle warm yellow-browns as well as soft greys directs Sachit to the usage of colourful instrument timbres. A sense of immersion without clearly defined edges, following the flow of rhythms and sounds without a clear goal and destination – this is what Sachit suggests in his musical response.

Text: Asja Zakhareva, Sachit Ajmani

Composer: Sachit Ajmani

Performers: Heiður Lára Bjarnadóttir (cello), Chelsea Balmer (harp), Francesco Bellomo (percussion)

Project curation: Asja Zakhareva

Studio and recording assistance provided by Louis van Eeten and Conservatorium Maastricht.

Impressions 3:  ‘Composition XIV’ by Piet Mondriaan

No 2 from the Impressions series commissioned by the Van Abbemuseum.



How might music convey the hidden narratives of art?

Two bird/human figures are sketched with black lines on an expressive, reddish background. Innocent, somewhat naive, comic, cartoon-like images are cheerfully smiling and cuddling. It might look sweet. But knowing Max Ernst, an innovative artist and a known provocateur, probably too sweet to be taken for granted. In works such as this, one can often expect some strongly implied hidden layers of meaning. The musical portrait of an artwork should then definitely take this into account. But how?

In his attempt to unlock these hidden senses, Sachit uses the paradoxes of this painting as his starting points. The explicit naivety of images contrasts with a provocative question in the title “What kind of Bird are you?” pointing at the camouflaged topic of self-identity. This question, written upside-down at the very bottom of the canvas, suggests an interrogative approach for the music. Soft, dry lines sketching bird-like figures are stylistically contrasting with the texturized background of full colour, evoking strong emotional response. This background interferes with the figures here and there as if it would doubt its seriousness and importance. What do all these details mean? What is this painting trying to ask us? Maybe music will help us to figure this out.

Text: Asja Zakhareva, Sachit Ajmani

Composer: Sachit Ajmani

Performers: Kristine Paseka (soprano), Heiður Lára Bjarnadóttir (cello), Francesco Bellomo (percussion)

Project curation: Asja Zakhareva

Studio and recording assistance provided by Louis van Eeten and Conservatorium Maastricht.

Impressions 2: Interrogation (What kind of bird are you?) by Max Ernst

No 4 from the Impressions series commissioned by the Van Abbemuseum.

Between two worlds. What music exists at the boundary of abstraction and imagery?

Evi Vingerling has chosen a challenging stylistic approach. Her art works are neither total abstractions, nor realistic landscapes with fully recognizable objects and shapes. Her style neatly balances between these two worlds. The delicate middle path is a conscious choice. As Evi Vingerling explains, she wishes to present concrete visual and emotional impressions of the beauty of nature that she willingly collects in her daily life. And yet, the artist prefers to hint at an image she may hold in her mind rather than depicting it directly. She provides a lot of freedom for the viewers to experience and interpret what they see. But how might such a dualism of reality and abstraction be represented in music?

As the base of his artistic response, Sachit Ajmani takes up the challenge of writing a piece that walks the same delicate stylistic path. On one hand, he connects to the linear plant-like texture of the painting with its wavy rising motion by exploring different representations of a “wavy” melodic line. On the other hand, in the same way as Evi Vingerling, he avoids explicit description of objects, staying away from a mere imitation of nature sounds. Instead, he creates a piece with a self-contained dramaturgy and an atmosphere that might indirectly remind of natural imagery. Colourful, contrasting timbres of the marimba and cello, rich rhythmic content, daring contemporary techniques, and intriguing interaction between instruments: these are prominent aspects to consider in Sachit’s auditory reflection.

Text: Asja Zakhareva, Sachit Ajmani

Composer: Sachit Ajmani

Performers: Heiður Lára Bjarnadóttir (cello), Francesco Bellomo (marimba)

Project curation: Asja Zakhareva

Recording: Nader Adabnejad

Recorded at Koninklijke Oude Harmonie van Eijsden.

Impressions 4: Self-Contemporary by Evi Vingerling

performance of "wildfire" from my final composition exam, September 2021. full video here: https://youtu.be/iMUdSHTIdSY

Arno Dieteren (conductor)
Paulien Dieteren (clarinet in Bb, bass clarinet)
Beppie Paquay (clarinet in A)
Guus Ghijsen (viola)
Sachit Ajmani (piano)

Performed at Conservatorium Maastricht, Willem Hijstek Zaal.

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