Sfumato

Cantus Ensemble
Cantus Ensemble

On august 22nd I will depart for Croatia to rehearse with the Cantus Ansambl. They will play my piece Sfumato which I wrote for the ocasion. They will perform it on saturday august 30th at the International Cultural Centre of Jeunesses Musicales Croatia in Grožnjan, thursday september 4th in the Bimhuis in Amsterdam as part of the International Gaudeamus Music Week 2008 and sunday september 21st at the Vatroslav Lisinski Small Hall in Zagreb.

Sfumato was written especially for the Cantus Ensemble. The title is the Italian term (which means "smoky") for a painting technique which overlays translucent layers of colour to create fuzzy perceptions of delicate differences in light and shadow. In particular, it refers to the blending of colours or tones so subtly that there is no perceptible transition. By working with subtle layers of timbres, rhythm and harmonies I came to a sounding equivalent. When I started my piece I had something else in mind but as often with my music the notes went looking for their own identity and I played the role as a biographer, giving form to their story. Clear sounds and chords encapsulate passages that are fuzzy and ambiguous. Or do they pierce it?