REQUIEM POUR UNE TERRE PERDUE (2009)
for chamber orchestra
(fl, cl, bcl, hn, tpt, trb, 2 perc., pn, 2 vls, vla, vcl, cb)
How the city grows one layer upon another over the years has always fascinated me. With each new layer, a new spatial configuration comes into being, be it through transformation, metamorphosis or disintegration. One of the most precious moments in Istanbul for me is when I run into a medieval Byzantine monastery in the midst of a modern cityscape. Often these two cityscapes are disconnected from each other and they embody their own temporal reality.
This piece is a lament for the long lost Byzantium of Istanbul. Through a chant, the traces of this lost land appear in a musical layer but are simultaneously assimilated into the dominant homogenous texture.
The score is availble through Babel Scores.