Dimitris MARONIDIS (1980)
"Mise en abime"
for 7 musicians and electronics
- Premiere: October 30, 2018, Riga, VEF
- "Art-i-Shock", "Altera Veritas", conductor Artūrs Oskars Mitrēvics, live eletronics - Dimitris Maronidis.
"The Book of Prayer"
For cello, piano, percussion and mixed choir
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"The second impromptu "My Mother's prayer" is a tribute to my mother. It primarily outlines the liturgy of an Orthodox church in a condensed form and is written down in notes.
In the course of the composition the white changes the black, the good vanquishes the evil. The purification phase of a human soul is ongoing. During the process, the spirit becomes stronger. The temptations might allure, but the resistance to them is a way to peace.
I think that friends of my music will be able to feel it, and will maintain the sense of peace and bliss forever, together with me."
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The dazzling sun, turquoise-blue seawater, rocks and columns, traditional cuisine and wine, very positive and warm-hearted people, Greek folk dances and music in the local tavern, musicians on the tiny and hilly streets of Athens and antique architecture – all this fascinated the new composer Aigars Raumanis in his trip to Greece, which he wanted to turn into sounds and stay for a little bit longer in this wonderful mood, and to recreate this incredible atmosphere.
"The composition Greece has two parts – Introduction and Dance, written in modes, time signatures and intonations characteristic for the Mediterranean region. The introduction is based on the Greek folk tune Irinaki, a doleful and little bit melancholic theme that contrasts with more active motives that are already preparing a hot-tempered dance featuring the themes of the famous Greek dance Sirtaki."
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“I dedicate my piece “a” to the Art-i-Shock trio. I named it so in hopes of further development of the work. This is the first piece of the cycle and the first letter of the ensemble’s title. Perhaps the second piece of the cycle will be named “r”, the third “t” and so until the word “art-i-shock” is created. So, it's a full dedication to the wonderful team that I hope to collaborate with in the future. Great thanks to the great musicians.”
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"The title of Debesgaishas acis... deg! (approximate translation would be: Eyes, bright as a sky... are burning!) is created from the names of the notes in the German tradition. Title contains a tone row of 13 notes – d e b es g ais h as a cis d e g – which makes the basis of the music material of the piece. Language of the music is created by playing with separate words, syllables or combination of them. Just the notes from this tone row are used in the piece and it becomes as an exciting search for various new textures and combinations. Perhaps the description feels a little dry and complicated, but the character of music fully corresponds to the title: fast and lively, sharp, but sometimes also romantic, light and deep, all at the same time.
Three characters, three themes, three instruments are bound together so that three wounderful ladies of Art-i-Shock trio could create their uniqe, united vision about my idea."
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"Each of us has an
individual perception of time and its characteristics. Even though all of us
experience the same sunset-sunrise cycle, still one day, one hour, one minute
could seem to have a different length according to our naturally different
perspectives. Comprehension and appreciation of time and distance may be one of
the most powerful experiences human being goes through here on the Earth. There
is time, there is distance, and there are purposes of our lives and our
relationship with other beings affected by time and distance, right?
Why THE MIN?
How long does it take to
observe sixty seconds?
Time is such a relative term. Perception of time is affected not only by external circumstances but also and much more important by our inside condition. If we let the time run it runs. The musical piece presents different flows of time. One material lets the time run, one lets it slow down, one enjoys the moment of almost no action. Minute by minute has been filled by these different time flows. Every beginning of a new minute will be announced by this little bell so that the observer can compare the feeling of the length of each minute."
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"Inspiration for this composition from an ancient Native American myth. The title is derived from the essence of this story where butterflies represent an old and wise woman. The myth reflects on wisdom, mystery and lightness. Small, playful elements of sound intertwine with each other and grow in time throughout the piece. At times these elements form stronger structures, but sometimes they scatter. This composition is written for piano, cello and marimba."
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Composer Līva Blūma:
"The main inspiration for this piece was the boxing match Mayweather vs. McGregor, which took place on August 26th, 2017. Originally, the piece was intended to resemble a boxing match in terms of musical form but over time, the original concept intertwined with allusions to Duke Ellington`s Caravan, resulting in a more compact yet varied piece of music.
The title stands for a boxing
strategy used by Muhammad Ali, where a boxer causes his opponent to fatigue
himself by drawing non-injuring offense, only to retaliate by executing a
devastating punch in the end. The listener plays an active role in determining
the true nature of this piece. Has the composer attempted to illustrate a
boxing match? Is it a musical soundscape totally foreign to boxing? Perhaps the
piece is a playful satire set to music..."