FABRIC REVERIE
for large ensemble, CD and a narrating conductor
2000
duration: 15'

This piece was written for the Cantus Ensemble and was premiered at the Biennale Zagreb on the 24th of April 2001. The form of 'Fabric Reverie' is derived from the model of sleep. Normally, a sleeping person goes through different levels of sleep in a wave-like form. This means that the depth of sleep is constantly changing. Almost the entire piece is composed in three layers. The musicians are supposed to emulate the changes between the various stages of sleep, by changing the layers according to certain rules. The flexibility which lies in those rules makes every performance of 'Fabric Reverie' different. Quotes from compositions that the individual musicians have played earlier in their lives are imbedded in many textures of the piece. They are an “imprint” of the musical pasts of the interpreters and therefore form another flexible musical aspect. The quotes stand as a metaphor for the “material” that dreams are made of, namely personal images from earlier stages of life. Dreams with strong visual appearances are characteristic of the REM-phase in sleep. This emphasis on the visual found its way into the piece by transferring musical principles into changes of light, and by the use of the graphical fantasy text of Malcolm McLaren. The ensemble sits on the stage in a mirrored position. The conductor, standing at the back of the stage and facing the auditorium, is in control of only certain aspects of the performance. During the piece his role is gradually subverted, and in this way the piece tries to investigate the varying unusual constellations of power that occur in the process of a performance. This is a tribute to the nature of dreams, which often do not obey the normal laws of the waking world.

Recording of the premiere at the Bienale Zagreb 2001, performed by Cantus Ensemble

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