Drei mal Drei for Ensemble (2005)

The form of the entire piece results from the various instrumental combinations. Whereby, each instrument (or instrumental pairing or instrumental group) can take on different functions (as): solo instrument by itself, solo instrument in a homogenous context (“accompanied” by its sound group), solo instrument in a heterogeneous context (“accompanied” by a different sound group), multiple solo instruments sounding simultaneously (homogenous or heterogeneous), as an “analytic” group (in which the individual components are audible), as a “synthetic” group (in which the individual components fuse together), as contrasting groups or as simultaneous groups “analytic” or “synthetic”, etc… In the first section of the piece (“Exposition”), the instruments appear both accompanied and unaccompanied as soloists. In the second section (“Durchführung” [development]), the exposition material is combined and (now developed) overlapped, before flowing into a kind of “fractal” canon. The Coda ties up those elements that were disparate and makes a whole out of the abundance of individual parts, bringing the ensemble back together. Drei mal Drei has a quasi-improvisational and at the same time a through-composed character. Both expressive and precise manners of performance are called for. The piece is dedicated to Hartmut Fladt for his 60th birthday.