Mnemosyne (2023)
(for Symphonic Wind Ensemble)

Mnemosyne means memory and is, among other things, discussed in the dialogues of the Greek philosopher Plato. Here, he creates an image of how we remember or forget things that happen to us. Plato talks about our soul consisting of blocks of wax, which can have different qualities. Some of the wax can be soft, while others are hard, some blocks are larger, others smaller, impure, or pure. This is the gift of Mnemosyne, writes Plato, the gift or opportunity of memory. Into this wax, everything we sense and experience is imprinted. Some things stick, while others disappear depending on how the wax is able to receive the impressions the world gives us.

The music in this piece starts as a chord that unfolds. This unfolding is repeated over and over, but the chord slowly changes, the instrument sound changes, and the rhythms change. This simple motif of something being unfolded or folded out goes through changes or metamorphoses. Eventually, the music grows into large chords, only to be reduced to small movements later on. What sticks in the wax of memory along the way, one can hear that it is 'the same' that constantly evolves, or does the whole experience feel like a journey towards something constantly new and entirely different.

Henrik Hellstenius