we choose

we choose

to other, to lead or to follow, to stay, to fall behind, to leave

the idea for this piece came progressively with the task of writing for percussion instruments with the orchestra

i have been thinking a lot about rituals, about the need to repeat, and the place of music in strengthening rituals
the need for stability
i thought of (sub)cultures and religions creating a feel of belonging by exclusion, by othering
i thought of bunraku, i thought of ragavardhana
i appropriated aspects of different cultures, i wish i knew more, i wish i was perhaps born somewhere else
i thought of me accompanying (?) or leading (?) the congregation in my home village
i dismembered a lent-time hymn i love to sing with the community and with my sister
i strived to revive a choir i heard

the choir members could not tune into one key together at first
during the hymn, a beautiful clarification occurred- the voices, initially as many as singers, progressively joined together into one line
it was a transforming experience, being able to tell by observing people sing, that

1) there was a huge problem that could be only overcome by all acting together
2) there arose different roles within this microscopic society
3) there were leaders, there were false leaders that led astray
4) overall, there were people that did their best. it was an important day and they considered themselves subordinate to the task they had to carry out

i thought of the organ and its quint stop
i am obsessed with the fifth and the sweet seventh
i thought of roots being taken away and put back
roots as in a root of a chord and roots as in that i often do not know where i am standing, what to leave and what to retain
can i uproot myself
i thought a lot about nothing recently
i thought of being suspended in water, being suspended in void that does not develop
i thought of hierarchies, all kinds of them, and i made one for the musicians to make my life easier
i wondered about agency, when do the hierarchies break, shuffle, how do the individuals act within them
i have mistreated the agents in these hierarchies
i thought about taking the privilege to grant you a melody
i dreaded the thought of having to predict and control 10 minutes of the future

written for Avanti! chamber orchestra

conducted by Jukka Rantamäki

Premiered on 12 December 2023 by Avanti! chamber orchestra at Sonore hall of Musiikkitalo Helsinki

With thanks to Lauri Kilpiö, Veli-Matti Puumala and Liza Lim

Special thanks to Anna Huuskonen and Lotta Vartiainen