Michael Jarrell

Abschied

The piano concerto Abschied was a commission of the Salzburg Festival and had its premiere there on the 8th of august 2001. The initial idea was that of a spiral developing almost infinitely. A chain of notes, beginning in the highest register, undergoes a constant filtering process to reach a momentarily stable form before undergoing a new filtering process. These mutations occur rapidly and have direct consequences on the music which is fast and of an energetic virtuosity. This is net only limited to the soloist but spreads also to the orchestra. This 'playful' section was nearly finished when my father died. This event had a decisive influence on the score. The swirling energies deployed in the upper register change direction. The piece slows down, seeking the depths, acting more with resonances, turns into a music that disappears, that 'bids farewell'. The initial narration is interrupted and opens up to areas of reflection, silence and memory.Michael Jarrell