2018 Concert Series Beethoven & Beyond | Page 5

right moment. That means just opening up space for things to unfold, and surrender to absolute presence in complete emptiness. Space Beyond Space comes with a philosophical message. Because both composers are rooted in western culture, Latin turned out to be the obvious choice. Since traditional texts dedicated to the phenomenon of space don´t exist in Latin, the words that came out of the composition process needed to be translated. With the help of Dr. Kurt Smolak of the University of Vienna, one of the best philologists available worldwide, the Latin paradigms of this composition have been crafted. “Ubi nihil - ibi omnia”! This statement carries such deep meaning, that it becomes a Latin “Koan” - something that cannot be grasped by the logical mind alone but eventually needs to include other layers of recognition to access a deeper understanding of space - the only phenomenon that connects everything with everything. 1) PROLOGUE: Musically the prologue intends to create the atmosphere that something important is to be revealed. It gradually builds a rhythmic backdrop to present the first statement. Ubi nihil, Ibi omina is recited first, for everyone to clearly understand the message: “where there is nothing there is everything’. This statement correlates with the ancient “heart sutra”, which starts like this: …“Form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form.” It also points to the finding of modern science. The prologue directly leads to the second movement. 2) UBI NIHIL To access the deeper meaning of this condensed information, the second movement leads the audience through a polytonal “birthing process” with a massive intensity of sound and rhythm input, that is intended to crack open the mind for venturing out to new horizons. 3) REVOLVING GALAXIES The Big Bang sends out its different movements through the musical universe. Inner galaxies, rhythmic galaxies and sound galaxies - all blend together at this point. Various polyrhythmic layers and complex cycles interact sometimes in a very dynamic manner, sometimes in contrast withdrawing into a more static mood. Revolving Galaxies ends in a culmination that calls the drums to take centre stage. 5