Ouroboros (op. 2)

PREVIEW SCORE

Ouroboros is a reflection on the never-ending process of cultural assimilation, one culture morphing into another. This can happen either in a natural or forced manner. One of the prime examples of this process going wrong is the ongoing tension between the Chinese and the Uyghur people.

After several terrorist attacks by radical Uyghur groups, the Chinese government has conducted a gruesome repression on the Uyghur people to eradicate their cultural and traditional values. This has culminated in 1 million Uyghurs being locked up in so called ‘re-education camps’.

The composition takes us to the desolate landscapes of Xinjiang, which is located in the western part of China. Calls from the desert, sand drifts and the inhospitable surroundings are forming the first part of the work, which is aggressively disrupted by the lockdown and imprisonment of the Uyghur people by the Chinese government.
In the second part we are being transported to the coastal areas of China where Chinese youth are dancing lively in the clubs, not knowing about the horrors which take place a couple of thousand kilometers further away. This is symbolized by three kinds of dance music: a Uyghur dance, EDM and Trap/Hip Hop.
When we arrive at the third part, we are going back to the beginning and reflect upon the dire situation. The open question which still remains is: will this story have a good ending?

Difficulty: Grade 6
Duration: ca. 13’00”

Commissioned by Fanfare De Eendracht, Den Ilp and premiered on the 22nd of July 2022 during the World Music Contest. Fanfare De Eendracht won 1st place out of 14 participating bands in the first division.

Instrumentation

Soprano saxophone in Bb 1 & 2
Alto saxophone in Eb 1 & 2
Tenor saxophone in Bb 1 & 2
Baritone saxophone in Eb

Cornet in Eb
Flugelhorn in Bb 1, 2 & 3

Horn in F 1, 2, 3 & 4

Piano

Trumpet 1 (two players), 2 & 3 in Bb
Tenor trombone 1, 2 & 3
Bass trombone

Euphonium 1 & 2 in Bb
Tuba in Eb
Tuba in Bb

Timpani

Percussion 1:
small triangle, suspended cymbal,
high wood block, bell tree,drum set,
lockdown sirene, daf (frame drum),
metal cans, tam-tam

Percussion 2:
clash cymbals, finger cymbals,
bass drum, suspended cymbal,
whip, low wood block, tam-tam
(+Asian gong), small triangle

Mallets 1:
glockenspiel, tubular bells,
tambourine, large tibetan singing bowl

Mallets 2:
vibraphone, suspended cymbal,
xylophone, tubular bells