Nuances of Water

Duration:

11'

Nuances of Water is inspired by the movements, forces and symbolism of water.

I am fascinated by how water can act in many different ways. It can be brutal and violent. It can be dangerous, harrowing and overwhelming. But it can also be calm, quiet and smooth. Whether it is a small drop, trickling in a stream or a massive wave, it is always the same element that we encounter, with new movement and intensity.

While working on the piece, I imagined sitting in the Grieghallen and listening to the orchestra, where I wanted to feel an orchestral sound that almost washed over me. I went for walks along the coast and observed how small waves that wash in over the rocks slide over and under each other, pushing on one another.

When I was composing, I thought about how the movement of water creates a pattern of forces, of flow and resistance. Although I don’t try to imitate water, or pretend that the piece is water, I like the idea that I translate some properties of the movement of water into music, and that I can use those properties as a metaphor for ways to put my ideas together. For example, I play with letting the layers of the music wash over each other, slide down and collide. Layers are pushed against each other, and the music is pulled in several directions at once.

I am also inspired by the symbolic aspects of water, which I like to call the mythology of water. I particularly like the idea of water as something sacred and transformative, an element that cleanses and heals, and it is an idea that runs through several major religions. In the piece, I translate this aspect of water into the music pointing downwards towards the depths, that there are abrupt shifts, and that there is a path through the piece from chaos to calm. Just as water can be experienced differently when it takes on new forms, it can be seen in music that certain parts spring from the same starting point, but that it is expressed differently.

AB