• Per Nørgård
  • Medstrøms og modstrøms (1981)
    (Downstreams and Upstreams )

  • Edition Wilhelm Hansen Copenhagen (World)

For 2-4 percussionists (or: melodic instruments may, ad lib., support the two basic percussion parts).
Unavailable for performance.

  • 2-4 percussion (incl. vibraphone, marimba)
  • 2 perc., 2 melodic instruments
  • 7 min

Programme Note

– for 2-4 percussionists, including melodic instruments (ad lib.)

"Medstrøms og Modstrøms" (Downstreams and Upstreams) develops certain ideas in a short piano piece (“Medstrømme” (Downstream), part of “Two Mediterranean Meditations”, 1980). The basic idea is a series of still slower “upbeats” (as in the durations 1-2-4-8-16). You may get the feeling when pronouncing the word for the French cheese “ca-mem-bert” (“ca-Mem--BÉRT----“). The smooth and dowstreaming effect of this is obvious; when you start to cut up and combine the elements of these patterns the counterpunctual effect of this is just as obvious, creating an abrupt and nervous contrast of whirls and upstream energy. Furthermore some of these fragments might be repeated (ad lib. times) creating an almost cubistic play with the rhythms. In this way the piece is open for the ideas and fantasy of the performers, including the integration of other (melodic) instruments.

Per Nørgård (1988)