Viola (Hommage á Mozart - Three dialogues)

Composer´s notes

Composing an homage in honour of a person is like looking for an answer to several questions, especially the importance of this person for me and what it provokes in me.

I find it very appealing to be inspired by people or topics from the past and to combine this inspiration with my own musical associations in order to find a new sound. This process seems to me like a wind that merges the times. It is a musical challenge to build an emotional bridge between the past and the present in a tonal way.

I sense Mozart and his music as an energy that leads me. The question if the composition reflects any of Mozart’s work remains unanswered, since no theme, melody or certain rhythm was deliberately included for musical citation. It is like playing hide-and-seek in the forest, a feeling, a certain aura; the piece reflects what Mozart provoked musically in me at this point in time.

three dialogues arises from three atmospheres that are audible as dialogues between the instruments. Although there is no dramatic development between these atmospheres, they do form as a whole a progression and a connected conversation which the audience can follow.

The piece was composed for viola and piano in 2014, commissioned by violist Nils Mönkemeyer and pianist William Youn. It was premiered November 4, 2014, in Innsbruck, Austria.