Nikolaus Kolb, oboe; Das Neue Ensemble Hanover; conductor: Stephan Meier

Programme notes

The piece consists of several “small and colourful stones” which are cobined in different ways – contantly varying – as if they were in a kaleidoscope. The spinning or rotation is sometimes faster, sometimes slower., Sometimes you would wat and look closer and try to keep the figure, soetimes there are abrupt changes.

Like with all these combinations – based on coincidence – a waltz appears suddenly. This waltz is at the same time a kind of play with different historical perspectives. The setting of oboe, string quintet (or orchestra) and harpsichord provokes a definite association: the music of some maestro of the Italian Baroque epoche sounds immediately in our inner ear. Not only today this music seems to be antique, even in the earlier times it has already been “old fashioned”. The waltz functions as a kind of “bridge” between the times – as dance forms played an important role also in the Baroque time. When this waltz is played by the harpsichord, it sounds like a stylistical anticipation. However, more weird when the rhythm of the “Kaiser-Waltz” by Johann Strauss is quoted for a moment.