DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME TRIOLOGY PIECES

EL TEMPUL - Paco de Lucia/Tristan

Paco de Lucia is one of the most brilliant flamenco Guitarists in the world. Strangely enough it can be harder to play a piece for three people than it is for one, which I believe is the case in this case. Tristan's virtuoso arrangement has given all of us something to practice, but then again we do like a challenge!

REVIRADO - Astor Piazzolla/Tristan Schulze

We were actually into his music way before the whole Piazzolla boom, this arrangement stemming from over 9 years ago (my god, is that how long we have been around?) As with all of Tristans arrangements, he listens them down from the original, this particular version stemming, as far as I remember, from Astor Piazzollas Vienna Concert recording. Since then Tristan and I have been in Buenos Aires where Tango originated, and realised that we were stylistically not even that far off.

SYMPHONY NR. 5, 1ST MOVEM. - Ludwig van Beethoven/Tristan Schulze

When we performed in the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, BeethovenÕs place of birth, we were asked to do a piece by Beethoven. Now, straight classical chamber music is not our speciality with Triology, (not that Beethoven ever wrote anything for 2 violins and cello anyway.) Tristan came up with this rocking, yet entirely faithful to the original, version of this classic. Every note of the original is actually in this arrangement (and a few more.) We have often mused what the maestro himself would have said about our version, and have come to the conclusion that it would have probably been a very loud: "What did you say?"

WHAT'S THE TIME? - Aleksey Igudesman

Bulgaria and its constantly changing rhythms is one of the inspirations for this piece. One bar is different to the next. The theme itself sounds a little more Russian-Jewish, I guess. During the middle section I improvise on top of a simple 9/8 pizzicato accompaniment.

WINTER POEMS -Aleksey Igudesman

During a particularly cold winter in Vienna in 1997, whilst waiting for the tram to arrive, in order to forget the cold, I got into the habit of writing some very strange poetry. I recently set it to music, sometimes using some motives of Georg Breinschmid, a friend and a wonderful Bass player, making it all the more, how should I put it, pleasurably absurd.

GAZPACHO ANDALUZ - Aleksey Igudesman

This poem of mine, recited at the beginning of the piece in English by Daisy, German by Tristan and Spanish by me, pretty much sets the mood of this somewhat quirky and unusual piece. (In case you are wondering why I speak Spanish, I had a girlfriend in Madrid for a couple of years, who couldn't speak any English, German or Russian, and after a while one has to talk a little bit...). I guess the piece is influenced by flamenco music. It is, on the whole, governed by a different, more ferocious energy though. I composed it being annoyed by certain people in the music business, but, deciding that I wanted to keep having a career, I changed the text to something a little more "digestible." I am particularly fond of the section where Daisy sings "La, la, la" and Tristan and I have cross rhythms. Cooking is in fact a big passion of mine, so the text is somewhat autobiographic.

GAZPACHO ANDALUZ, o my sopa de amor eterna, or, soup of my eternal love oder, oh Suppe meiner ewigen Liebe, or I like to cook for you

Era una noche - Era una noche caliente - Era una noche caliente y mi corazon lloraba lagrimas de fuego - porque quiero, - porque quiero tanto, - quiero tanto tu amor de vida - tu amor de alma y cuerpo - tu amor frio y crudo - tu amor rojo y salado - con cebolla, ajo y tomate - mi sopa de amor eterna... --------------------------------

It was that night, - that very night, - it was that night when my heart cried tears of fire - fuelled with love, - a love, - that love, - for you - red like a falling sun - raw like the trembling sea - cold like the breath of death, - with onion, garlic, pepper and plenty of tomato, - oh soup of my eternal love... ------------------------------------

Es war Nacht - Es war diese Nacht - diese heisse Nacht meiner ewigen Traeume - du wollustige, hungrige Sonne meiner Liebe - du Hure meiner Seele, - rot wie ein blutiges Meer - salzig wie die Traene, die langsam auf den Kochtisch fŠllt, - just neben das Stueckchen Zwiebel, - auf dich, - o Suppe meiner ewigen Liebe... ------------------------------

ALL ABOVE TEXTS BY ALEKSEY IGUDESMAN

THE VOYAGE OF A SCALE FROM ANCIENT GREECE VIA INDIA TO ANDALUSIA - Tristan Schulze

There are certain scales that exist at different times in various musical cultures. Take, for example, the Phrygian, one of the 6 ancient Greek modal scales, which could quite easily have been exported by Alexander the Great on his travels east. All of those Greek scales can be found in Indian Ragas. Centuries later, Indian Gypsies travelled west through North Africa ending up in Andalusia which country is now part of Spain. Back then, Jews, Arabs, Christians and Gypsies actually managed to live in peace with each each other until, of course, the Spanish inquisition put an unruly end to that. So, if one takes the Phrygian scale and add a major third as an extra note, one gets the scale of flamenco music, music that was born Andalusia. This piece of mine, takes the same path in 8 short minutes as opposed to several hundred centuries.

BRUSTNUESSE (OR CHEST NUTS) - Tristan Schulze

The title of this piece only really works in German which is unfortunate because it takes an English sense of humour to get the joke. Musically, the piece presents a synapse of various chord progressions in conjunction with various Jazz lines. The eighth notes of the 4/4 bar are turned into a 3/2/3 pattern which gives the middle section a slight Tango feeling.

SOFIA-ISTANBUL - Tristan Schulze

The music of Bulgaria was a great influence for many musicians in the last century. The complex rhythms played at top speeds with an abundance of energy have always been fascinating to us. This piece is in 10/8 the whole way through. The scales used vary in an effort to bridge the diverse histories of Europe and Asia. Or something like that.

BALCARCE - Tristan Schulze

This piece was composed in Buenos Aires, the capitol of Argentina. I travelled there in order to be closer to the surroundings of Astor Piazzolla, one of my biggest musical heroes. Interestingly enough, I immediately felt very much at home in Buenos Aires, maybe partly because it felt so European in many ways. What impressed me most was that the Tango is still an integral part of the lives of the people there. It was fascinating to see and feel the passion of the people dancing this dance. Old and young are united by the idea of Tango. Much more than a dance, I believe it to be a way of life.

ADIOS - Tristan Schulze

One of the most beautiful hikes I ever experienced was in Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), the most southern part of South America, which is where I got the inspiration for this piece. It was written in memory of my grandmother.

ABOVE TEXTS BY TRISTAN SCHULZE

EYE OF LIGHT - Daisy Jopling

The idea for Eye of Light came to me when I was dreamily watching a stream in complete shadow. A shaft of evening sunlight struck the ripples, and it's power was extraordinary in contrast to the surrounding darkness. The title is influenced by the expression "eye of the storm", the complete stillness at the centre of a manic chaos.

ABOVE TEXT BY DAISY JOPLING