Noble Legends (2022)
graphic score for four performers - 8-12 minutes
Noble Legends was written during a composition fellowship at the Künstlerhaus Lauenburg (DE) in Spring/Summer 2022. It is a detailed graphic score that displays the history of Lauenburg on both a chronological and a geographical axis. Depicted are key events in the city, starting from its founding in 1182 until the major flooding of 2013. The piece is based on true historic facts and old maps gathered from the local city archives.
The score is divided into four zones: the harbour, the administrative quartier, the church, and the bank of the Elbe (river),
each interpreted by one of the four performers. The musicians are asked to sonically present the events that have happened over time in their part of the city. It is also important that they have a sense of what is happening in the city in general (i.e., know what the others do and place their sounds in this context). The nature of the score therefore asks the performers to learn a bit about the history of Lauenburg.
Noble Legends can be performed with or without a projection for the audience. The listeners can either use their fantasy and foreknowledge to see if they can recognise the references, or they can be given a copy of the legend and indulge in an aural lesson on the city.
The artistic process displayed at the Stadtgalerie Lauenburg in Summer 2022
Photo: JDT
The premiere took place in June 2022 at Künstlerhaus Lauenburg and was performed by Ensemble Reflexion K (Beatrice Wagner — flutes, Gerald Eckert — cello, Delphine Gauthier-Guiche — horn) together with the artist (saxophones).
I would like to thank the Elbschifffahrtsmuseum in Lauenburg, the Lauenburger city archives, Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, and Stefan Tomaszewski for the interesting city tour during which the idea was born.
Performance: Ensemble Reflexion K + JDT
Photo: J. Clews