Fremdkörper / Variationen (2015)
(for ensemble)

Fremdkörper/Variations for violoncello, percussion and piano with two players (inside and outside) was commissioned by Alte Oper Frankfurt in 2015 and is dedicated to Ensemble Ascolta, with whom I have been friends for many years. The piece musically explores the questions: What does “foreign” mean? What does “own” mean? What does “integrate” mean? What can happen when a familiar environment suddenly changes? How do we then perceive what is foreign and what is our own? Initially, four musical variations develop from a core of heterogeneous sonic materials, which merge into one another in a processual manner. What they all have in common is that everyday objects (“Fremdkörper”) are used to make music and are integrated into the composition. During the fourth variation, they are gradually collected by the second pianist. In the fifth variation, the situation finally changes: the second piano player moves to the foreground and becomes a performer who performs actions with them at a table. But the objects do not sound as usual...

Elena Mendoza