Stained light (2023-24)

Instrumentation: piccolo/alto flute, oboe, basset horn in F/contrabass clarinet, bassoon/contraforte, piano, harp, violin, and cello

Commissioned and premiered by Ensemble Proton Bern as a part of Protonwerk No. 13 with financial support from the Schweizer Kulturstiftung Pro Helvetia.

Duration: 10’30”

Program note:

“Stained light” is a part of an ongoing attempt in my work to uncover sensations and emotions from my own childhood. It can be both nostalgic and dark, as I try to remember how sensitive I felt to everything as a child – to the weather, to the energy of people around me, to the sounds of the world. In the piece, I try to create fragile spaces in which small details can affect the whole system, uncovering layers of sweetness or of darkness. There is something always under the surface, like a hidden song, half-remembered, heard from a distance.

Performance history:

April 23, 2024 – Ensemble Proton Bern at Dampfzentrale Bern, Bern, Switzerland . Conductor: Gregory Charette (world premiere)

May 8, 2024 – Ensemble Proton Bern at Gare du Nord, Basel, Switzerland. Conductor: Gregory Charette