Paraphrase II – ”Giant steps and eden acid”

For chamber ensemble

2016

Duration

20 min

Instrumentation

fl (+picc, bfl), cl (+bcl), pno, vln, vla, vlc

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Commissioned by

Uusinta Ensemble

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Premiered by

Uusinta Ensemble

10.10.2016
Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu

Oulu, Finland

Notes

Paraphrase II is part of a larger Paraphrase-cycle that consists of several independent works. The starting point in each of the cycle’s work is a specific composers work or a genre. The works of the cycle can be performed either as independent works or consecutively as a cycle.

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In the Paraphrase-cycle I approach the concept of paraphrase as a way of self-reflection as well as a commentary on a specific historical style. My composing process begins from a place where I’m relatively close to the original music, until I gradually move farther away from it. During this process the musical material goes through a variety of filters resulting in an unexpected synthesis of elements I’ve extracted from the original work combined with ways of expression that are typical for myself.

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Paraphrase II combines elements from free jazz and acid house. The first half of the piece concentrates on texture types inspired by free jazz and its material is derived from John Coltrane’s piece Giant steps. The process of gradually introducing more and more recognizable elements from Giant steps culminates into a situation where the piano plays a direct quote from the work while the ensemble starts a brutal and repetitive acid house-like texture. In this moment the two styles acid house and bebop overlap with each other.

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The later part of the work focuses on the archetypical ways of expression in the genre of acid house, loops and looping being in a dominant role of the texture. By using extended playing techniques I strive to obscure the recognizability of the original acid house pieces that I paraphrase.