Philipp Ortmeier
Gradus ad Parnassum
Duration: 7'
Instrumentation details:
flute
clarinet
percussion
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
double bass
Gradus ad Parnassum
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Work introduction
"Is there a colorful hustle and bustle on the summit or rather quiet transfiguration? In Debussy's bravura piano piece of the same name, the path to becoming a budding virtuoso is composed out, the piece becoming ever more nimble and dexterous until the furious finale. Quite different here: Once the steep ascent - here in the form of a string canon gradually expanding to four-part harmony - is overcome, contemplative calm suddenly reigns. The soft string clusters leave plenty of room for the flute and clarinet to rise and fall in flowing melodic arcs. And at the end, the enraptured listener even descends the mountain of muses again. That is, when the wind duet played in excited ecstasy leads directly into the loud reprise of the full-voiced string canon, which now gradually leads back to the starting point." (Philipp Ortmeier)
The piece was composed from 28.4. to 4.5.2022 and qualified for the final of the Bruno Maderna International Composers Competition 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine. There it had its world premiere and first performance by the KLK Ensemble under the direction of Roman Kreslenko on 5.7.2022 in the National Philharmonic Hall.