Impressions für Septett

“Impressions” is a composition in three movements – “Carnival in Venice”, “Dream” and “Country Road”. It was commissioned by Pacific Serenades, a Los Angeles-based chamber music series. The inspiration for the individual movements came not so much from actual experience, but rather from my imagining looking at a painting of, say, a carnival in Venice. I then proceeded to try to capture my impressions in music. In my concert works I always try to blend 20th century compositional techniques with elements of contemporary jazz. In this piece you can also hear additional influences of rock rhythms and Anglo-Saxon folk music, in the first and third movements respectively. “Carnival in Venice” describes not only the fun and upbeat aspect of a carnival, but also tells about its less obvious dark side. Musically, the movement is based on a jazzy main theme in a 7/4 feel introduced by the clarinet and bassoon. “Dream” – the longest of the three movements – is a slow, moody waltz. For me, the melody together with its underlying harmonies creates a dream-like atmosphere with a comfortable, slightly otherworldly feeling. “Country Road” closes out the composition, a short impression of an imagined car ride somewhere in the American West.   Gernot Wolfgang