Portrait of a tone

Program notes:

‘… and each man kills the things he loves, by all, let this be heart…’

                                                                        -Oscar Wilde

 

The idea of writing music upon a note-center can be traced throughout the Mediterranean traditions as well as the north and western African traditions such as the ‘Batá’ music from Ghana, all of them leading back to the Arabic and subsequently to the Egyptian principles of the ‘makam’ and its derivatives.

Premiered by the ensemble of the Hochschule fur Musik Dresden, at the Aula of the HfM, in 2009, conducted by Andreas Tsiartas.

Note: for this piece, each performer (except the flute and harp) is assigned additional percussion and items. Tuba - additional instruments: 1 conga (and a double bass bow)/ Soprano - additional instruments: 1 conga, triangle, wind-chimes, singing bowl ca. on E, and a slapstick/ Cello - additional instruments: 1 conga. Percussionists requires a vibraphone, glockenspiel, gong, a bass drum and a bundle of nuts.