Description

Franz Kafka wrote a story called "Der Bau" (The Burrow) in 1923. In fact it's an unfinished story without a title. In the story there is an animal building his subterranean labyrinth and listening in the silence to all kinds of real or imaginary noises. Sometimes they seem to be close sometimes distant. He is constantly worried if somebody will attack his burrow.

Last year I began to write a piece for solo guitar called "Der Bau", and I finished the first movement. The musical material for "erBa" derives from this short fragment. With two guitars there are many possibilities to create different combinations of the musical figures. I also wanted to add some noises, with tamborra effects and whispers of human voice. Two guitars wander in the darkness like Kafka's animal being lost in the sleepless reality full of dreams.

© Juha T. Koskinen (23.1.2009)

Instrumentation

2guit

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

Rody van Gemert and Norio Sato, Tokyo, 5 March 2009.

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Archive number

MF20744

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