Modus operandi (2019)

Movements:

1. Resounding.
2. Dust
3. Broader than the original.

Program Note:

Modus operandi is a piece whose procedures and musical materials are inspired by many of my earlier works. This conscious revisiting and recontextualization of earlier ideas is the main reason for the title.

Resounding plays on both the denition meaning emphatic but also literally to sound again.

Dust aims to capture both the idea of something mundane - muted and melancholic in mood - and also the idea of a much lighter remnant or residue left over from something else.

Broader than the original is a rough translation of the marking “noch briefer all su Anfang” from the Adagio of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. It occurs when the tutti horns play an elaboration of the main melody – a moment which has resonated with me for quite some time. I do not intend the horn line to be recognized – it is there only as a point of reference. In this context, the weaving of this line into my musical fabric is taken to its highest level adding yet another layer of meaning to the title.