The work is dedicated to the memory of my teacher in composition Valentyn Borysov. I have utilized four "musical" letters of his name (BorySov vAlEntyn) which were consequently transposed and became the basis of the full 12-tone series. This series determines both the order of the tones and the selection of the transpositions, hence the piece is written in strict dodecaphony technique.
Apart from the twelve-tone ground, there is a special acoustic idea in the piece, exactly a long concentrated listening to separate tones and intervals. This meditation leads to comprehension of the beauty and the self-value of the sound as an acoustic phenomenon.
The piece was premiered by Moscow percussionist Mark Pekarsky at the festival Almeida, London, in June 1989.
Alexander Shchetynsky
© 2000 by Alexander Shchetynsky