Die Stücke der Windrose (1991)
(Nordosten)

When I moved to Germany, my sense of direction became a little impaired. Especially on the banks of a river, I often make mistakes because I spontaneously misjudge the slope of the stream. In South America, with the Andes mountain range to the west, the water usually flows to the east or south (although in the Andes countries it is often the other way round). The situation is similar with the term northeast. From Central Europe, it is not easy to define precisely which region we are talking about. One could call it a typically fuzzy direction. But from southern Argentina, we can only talk about the legendary northernmost part of Brazil. I am grateful to have gotten to know the variety of rhythms and melodic shapes there. But what would this music be without the omnipresent mixture of melancholy and cheerful communication, of exhilaration and sadness?

This number of my cycle is dedicated to a Cuban writer to whom I owe many inspirations and who has been waiting for an eternity for me to fulfill my promise to compose a musical reflection on South America. So now in memory of him:

por fin: para Alejo Carpentier

M.K.
(Translation by Edition Peters)