Sinfonietta

perf. by the National Estonian Symphony orchestra, cond. Olari Elts
concert recording / 10.9.2021

Commissioned by Musica femina München and composed for the Münchener Kammerochester, cond. Clemens Schuldt

"Hier ist alles Abstand, und dort wars Atem". R.M.Rilke. Die achte Elegie

Following the series of my aquatic pieces, “Apnea” (in latin “absence of breathing”) for string orchestra, written during the pandemic winter, reflects the importance of breathing whilst exploring the physical and emotional transformation during the immersion under the water. The macro form of the composition reminds of a very long breath-in and a gradual breath-out stretching the time in between while continuing to delay the climax and increase the tension until the limits. The orchestra is playing without any pause taking both the players and listeners through the existential odyssey.

"Apnea" for strings (2021)

Written for Goska Isphording&Maciej Frąckiewicz and commissioned by the Musical Aspiration Foundation (PL), co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland (programme Composing Commissions, implemented by the Institute of Music and Dance) with the support of the Lithuanian Composers’ Union.

In this piece two instruments of a very different or even opposite origin and acoustic nature are melted into a monolithic “monochrome” mechanism, as if constructing a utopian instrument with characteristics of the harpsichord and accordion. The idea of such composition came from a play on words, only changing a sequence of letters in an English name of the harpsichord: harpSIchord – harpISchord. “Harp” is being read as an arpeggio (e.g. a technique asking to play chord notes in succession upwards or downwards), while “chord” is perceived as a synchronous entrance of all the chord sounds together. In this piece the two indivisible phases of sound – sound attack and resonance – are being separated in a sense of timbre. The first one is obviously assigned to the harpsichord, which naturally has almost no resonance, and the second one clearly belongs to the accordion, dynamically raising sounds from the silence. By the way, the principle of duality/opposites is expressed also through a special use of double keyboards which both instruments have whilst the diatonic white-keys harmony comes from the “eolian (wind) harp” sound.

Justė Janulytė

At van Abbe Eindhoven

"Harp is a Chord" for harpsichord and accordion (2016)

Programme note

The piece is written in the style of pure repetitive minimalism, the texture is based on the counterpoint of regular pulsations. The choir is split into four micro-ensembles by regulating the texture clarity-density level and interpreting the old tradition of cori spezzati. The harmony is based on the slow sequences of diatonic scales, imitating overlaps of watercolour hues without distinct beginning/end outlines. The piece does not contain verbal text, only mormorando and vowels; hence there is no sound attacks paralleled with consonants of the verbal text. The only gesture in this piece - the sound emerging and submerging into silence, as if a tip of the iceberg revealing only small part of what the hearing cannot grasp, but may be able to imagine.

Perf.  by Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, cond. Paul Hillier             

Sinfonietta

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