Elevations

by Jarkko Hartikainen

for ensemble

Description

Elevations (2017), scored for nine instruments, develops the musical material into multiple, yet transparent interpretations of the concepts of rising, transcending, elevating, or increasing (true to title). The music aims to get higher, to cross thresholds – to increase sonic awareness. The material is based on acoustic phenomena on instruments, such as flageolets, beatings, multiphonics and registral characteristics of intervals, all adhering to a similar directional, elaborative, ascending tendency. The empirical, sound-based composition process, I hope, is not merely replicating the ancient human occupancy of brick-making ('filling form x with material y') as the above language might suggest. (For me it's a false dichotomy, anyway.) Yet, the piece is also decisively non-conceptual, containing no 'extra-musical' stimuli. It also does its best (if at all possible) to avoid the position of an academic outside artist-commentator who elevates themselves above their appropriated or down-right stolen source material. This conceptual simplicity should render all prerequisites to listening (outside of silence and alertness), even this text, basically obsolete.

© 2017 Jarkko Hartikainen

Instrumentation

fl, ob, cl, mar, pno, vln, vla, vlc, db

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

20 August 2017 at Schloss Solitude (Stuttgart, Germany), Ensemble SurPlus conducted by Erich Wagner

Commisioned by / dedications

Written for the last Schloss Solitude Summer Academy (led by Chaya Czernowin) while being kindly supported by the Paulo Foundation.

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Archive number

MF33190

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