Astrolávos, the Angel at the Bottom of the Sea

Composer's Notes

Astrolávos, the Angel at the Bottom of the Sea, nine constellations for oboe solo

I. the scream, II. the dance, III. mumble, IV. astonishing, V. a short dream, VI. lullaby,

VII. longing, VIII. time zone, IX. silence

Astrolávos, the Angel at the Bottom of the Sea, nine constellations for oboe solo was commissioned by the oboe player Francois Leleux, to whom the composition is also dedicated.

The piece is the third composition in a series of pieces, for various scorings, all dedicated to angels. These include angels that have been painted or sculpted by artist friends of mine and also objects that have angelic meanings for me. They have inspired me to portray them in sound and bring them to life musically. I do not separate colour, form, sound or narrative: to compose music with this combined “world” in the background is both a challenge and a privilege for me.

Astrolávos is the name of the antique astrolabe – a dial to measure the altitudes of the sun and the stars – which was found on the seabed in front of the Greek island Antikýthira. The astrolabe was equipped with a highly complicated mechanism, which allowed it to show certain constellations of our solar system very precisely. For its time, it was revolutionary in its knowledge of the rules of planetary movements around the sun, of how these are seen from the Earth, all in the beautiful setting of this meanwhile closely studied apparatus. It has inspired me for a long time. It helps me to consider the vibrations of the universe in my own way, to recognise an invisible pulse, sense a new dimension in the perception of time, and this is what I would like to express in my composition. It is a mixture of a challenge, a wish, a game – all aiming for a new dramaturgy for Astrolávos. On the one hand, the Astrolávos dial is emotionally moving because of its masterful knowledge; on the other hand, the result has a miraculous quality which affects me directly in my heart. The piece consists of nine miniatures constructed after the complexity of watchmaking techniques, which aim to create phrases and melodies within a particular temporal rhythm.

At the same time as the composition, a painting was created in collaboration with the Greek artist Yannis Gourzis.