Allegretto
Lento
Two contrasting movements of the piece shape the space for a swing of the imaginary pendulum - like between day and night, action and meditation, reality and dreaming... First (fast) movement resembles toccata; regular rhythm of sixteenths is constantly broken by irregular accents and rests which, together with numerous "tuplets", create quite motley and complicated rhythmical "landscape". Here and there brief motives form triads and seventh chords that right away escape in 12-tone structures. Second (slow) movement starts with flexible, melodically expressive marimba voice. Refined rhythm is combined here with numerous ornaments. From the beginning of the second movement and in the next sections marimba is treated in "vocal" aspect: "arioso" is followed by expressive "recitative". Trombone part is based mostly on sustained tones with various deviations (microchromatic, timbral); different kinds of vibrato and multiphonic sounds (simultaneous playing and singing) are extensively explored. The predominant mood of the second movement is concentrated mystical meditation.
Alexander Shchetynsky
© 2000 by Alexander Shchetynsky