Hämärän tanssi
by Matti Heininen
for flute, clarinet, violoncello, piano, and live electronics
Dance of the Obscure
Description
My composition Hämärän tanssi ("Dance of the Obscure") has been influenced by the attitude of early techno music: "Techno is everything you haven't imagined yet".
The piece includes some direct references to the origins of techno music, Detroit Techno, where one of the aims was to find a kind of hope through imagination amidst urban darkness and poverty - "a Salvation in a dystopian world". Similarly, in my own work, I have sought a kind of liberation through imagination.
True to its name, the piece contains some dance-like elements, but mainly with materials that are ill-suited for this purpose. The expressive field of the piece is formed, as it were, from this friction between expression and material. The use of live electronics supports this idea.
The title of the piece also refers to a kind of awakening of the underlying, lifeless material. This is achieved by emphasizing non-traditional methods of sound production, as well as a certain role for the performers, where musicians act more as controllers of sounds rather than active sound producers. The aim is to "make the obscure dance". I have explored similar expressive fields in several of my recent works, such as the orchestral piece "towards the extraordinary adventures of Baron Munchausen, premiered by the FRSO and Gustavo Gimeno in 2019.
The piece is dedicated to Sami Klemola and the Defunensemble. In the realization of the electronics, I have been assisted by my longtime collaborator Erkka Lempiäinen, as well as Timo Kurkikangas of the Defunensemble.
Matti Heininen [2024]
Instrumentation fl, cl, vlc, pno, live electronics
Instrument codes
Abbreviation | Instrument |
Woodwind | |
acl | alto clarinet |
afl | alto flute |
arec | alto recorder |
asax | alto saxophone |
barsax | baritone saxophone |
barhn | baritone horn |
bcl | bass clarinet |
bfl | bass flute |
bob | bass oboe |
bsax | bass saxophone |
bsn | bassoon |
cbsn | contrabassoon |
cl | clarinet |
ehn | English horn |
fl | flute |
hn | French horn |
ob | oboe |
pic | piccolo |
rec | recorder |
sax | saxophone |
srec | soprano recorder |
ssax | soprano saxophone |
trec | tenor recorder |
tsax | tenor saxophone |
Brass | |
ahn | alto horn |
atrb | altotrombone |
barhn | baritone horn |
btrb | bass trombone |
cornet | cornet |
euph | euphonium |
fhn | flugelhorn |
hn | French horn |
tba | tuuba |
thn | tenor horn |
trb | trombone |
trp | trumpet |
Percussion | |
dr | drums |
glock | glockenspiel |
mar | marimba |
perc | percussion |
timp | timpani |
vibr | vibraphone |
xyl | xylophone |
Strings | |
db | double bass |
gamba | viola da gamba |
str | strings |
vla | viola |
vlc | cello |
vln | violin |
Other | |
acc | accordion |
cel | celesta |
cemb | harpsichord |
chords | chords |
elbas | electric bass |
elg | electric guitar |
elorg | electric organ |
elpno | electric piano |
guit | guitar |
harm | harmonium |
hca | harmonica |
hp | harp |
instr | instrument |
kantele | kantele |
keyb | keyboard |
live electr | live electronics |
mand | mandolin |
mel | melody |
org | organ |
pno | piano |
synth | synthesizer |
tape | tape |
Vocal | |
alto | alto |
baryt | baritone |
basso | bass voice |
ch | choir |
chc | childrens choir |
chf | female choir |
chm | male choir |
chx | mixed choir |
cten | countertenor |
mezzo | mezzo-soprano |
sopr | soprano |
speaker | speaker |
ten | tenor |
voc | vocal |
Coding for instrument ensembles and orchestras
Symphony orchestra | |
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings |
Wind band | |
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists |
Big band | |
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums |
Additional codes | |
+ | fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo |
/ | pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ |
lib | ad libitum |
obl | obligato |
str | str: 65432 = specified number of string players |
str min | str min: 65432 = at least 65432 |
str max | str max: 65432 = not more than 65432 |
solo | vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin |
Category Chamber Works
Premiere
Defunensemble, Tampere Biennale, April 12, 2024, Tampere, Finland,
Commisioned by / dedications Commissioned by Sami Klemola, Minna Leinonen, and Tampere Biennale, and dedicated to Sami and Defunsensemble
PDF for promotional use Download
Archive number MF35705
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