What is revolution in music? Is it entirely different from that in politics, or does it merely mirror political upheavals? How does it make its appearance? In a noisy and ostentatious manner, virtually triumphant with aplomb, or quietly, almost inconspicuously, as if through the back door? Is revolution in art at all to be equated with progress? Questions upon questions...

My work is scored for a 17-part ensemble and consists of several short parts. The formal tension arises from fragmentary sections that are getting more and more complex. They build an ever unstable mixture: constructed of clearly defined gestures, they constantly influence each other and may also change their identities as the piece progresses. These mixed situations are capable of unexpectedly “tipping over” at any time, of igniting and “instigating” revolutions that radically and lastingly change the musical environment.

Johannes Maria Staud, May 2021