Oliver Waespi

Other Lives

Other Lives' is works perfectly for a competition but can also be programmed as concert work. The dark chords at the beginning of the piece are derived from 'Der Doppelgänger', one of Franz Schubert's late songs. After a short development the music begins to accelerate and find its own shape, gradually moving away from the introduction. The entire first part, 'Rage', has an intensely agitated character. The ensuing 'Reflection' turns back to the initial chord progression, before a series of interspersing solos explore time and space at a slower pace. After another musical surge, the music is brought close to silence and then gives way to the third part, 'Redemption'. Here, a widely spaced sound field contains a remote allusion to another work by Schubert 'Rückblick'. After this farewell, an abstract musical transformation triggers an emotional change, as the initial motifs are now presented in their inversed form in order to create a much brighter harmonic landscape. Moreover, in the last part of the piece, 'Renewal', the grim, tense atmosphere of the first part is transformed into a great energy. 'Other Lives' was commissioned by the Valaisia Brass Band.