Meditatio (2003)
(for saxophone quartet and mixed chorus)

The listener should not be misled by the title. "Meditatio" does not imply here some kind of superficial, New Age relaxation, but rather, a very deeply concentrated and intense absorption into one particular state of mind, which might be described as a cry for eternity by one who has lost his faith: rebellion and resignation, hope and hopelessness, melded together. The work was commissioned by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk and premiered in Cologne by the WDR Choir and the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet in 2004.

The piece uses what I call vectorial technique, as the principle of voice-leading in the wider sense follows projections of vectors in different directions. In the saxophone parts I have used some multiphonics, especially at the beginning of the piece, where the sonic result recalls the stretched echo of cracked church bells.

Erkki-Sven Tüür