Title: de takker mørkets gråt på sine knær»
*the temporary title is taken from a poem written by Gunvor Hofmo
Percussion:
– 3 tam-tams
– toy piano (2 – 3 oktaver)
– keys
– knife sharpener with knife
– pencil sharpener with pencils
– desk bells
Duration: open
The three tam-tams shall be placed around the pianist, creating an enclosure behind the piano. The smaller instruments and tools lay scattered in the confined space behind the pianist. Coincidentally an anti-Liszt set-up, the pianist does not play in a profile position on stage. She faces the audience through the piano, perhaps slightly obstructed by the lid. The percussionist futzes about in the background of the seated pianist, kneeling or sitting on the floor, almost invisible to anyone off stage or in a distance. As such, this purely acoustic piece works against the traditional concert theatrics of being seen, especially in light of percussion and piano music. The sonic gestures from the knife sharpening, pencil sharpening or keys rattling are not prepared by the eyes of the listeners but rather out of purely musical considerations when experienced in a concert space. The visual unclarity and uncertainty create a different kind of tension in listening. This contributes to different methods in building the narrative of the piece.
For the percussionist, there are two ‘rooms’ in the work: one which is occupied by the tam-tams expansive resonance together with the piano with an open lid, and then one room that is intimate, close to the floor with the small instruments. In essence, the work is a meditation in the mediation between the two acoustic spaces.The pianist — who is still likely the most visible — takes on a role to play a wandering, lyrical and hymn-like material, mostly undisturbed throughout the duration. Perhaps more in the vein of Charles Ives than Morton Feldman, the hymnic harmonies wander freely and sometimes meets with the tam-tams’ echoes to evoke a sense of timelessness. Other times, the chords and gestures are coloured by knives, keys and so on. The pianist may also play inside the piano.
The climactic point of the piece is the meeting between the toy piano and the grand piano. At the moment, I’m a bit unsure of how we will get there to that point yet, but that is the ‘goal’ of the piece.’
Percussion setup presentation and improvisation
JonasEvenstad 