Stratus - Altocumulus - Cirrus (2014)

for 9 players divided into 3 groups
EDIZIONI SUVINI ZERBONI – MILANO
SCORE

world premiere : 12.01.2015 in Düsseldorf Tonhalle
Commissioned by the Ensemble Aventure, funded by the Innovationfund Arts Baden-Württemberg
(alto fl, ob,  bass-cl, fg.  pno, perc, vl, vla, vc)

Heartbeat and clouds

In the Noh theater music, there is no conductor. They are the instruments Taiko (drum) or Tuzumis (hand drum), who direct the flow of the music.
In the music, in which the time is extremely extended, the sound of these drums acts as the heartbeat for the whole piece.
The heartbeat is the engine that gives us information about the events of actual life, lets say the moment but also the days and the weeks which constantly pass. These ephemeral life is like the flow of clouds - they constantly change their forms and flow with different rhythm according to the altitude.

In my piece "Stratus - Altocumulus - Cirrus" I wanted to represent three layers which has different life spans with own speed of heartbeats, such as that of elephant, human and mouse. I treated the heartbeat as musical material, and at the same time as spheres. The three clouds stratification is as a metaphor of life span.

The ensemble is divided into three groups.
Group 1: bassoon, cello, percussion and piano (bass tab).
Group 2: bass clarinet, alto flute, piano (middle register).
Group 3: violin, viola, oboe and piano (high register)
Each group presents its own form of "life" .

This image of the three layers remembers me the clouds, each has its unique character and their specific height.
However, all three groups depending on their own character and timing and its own essence. They are code of impermanence. And how we would be without them?

(Malika Kishino, Cologne 1.11. 2015)