Injabulo. For Two Flutes and Piano
African Suite No. 8
Besetzung:
First Movement: Hambela phambili (Move forward!): flute, alto flute, piano
Second Movement: Sula Inyembezi (Wipe your tears): bass flute, piccolo flute, piano
3. Satz: Uphethwe yimincili (She is excited): two flutes und piano
Injabulo is Xhosa and means Happiness. And indeed I was very happy, when Anna Rheingans, Iris Höfling and Tomoyo Ueda commissioned me to write a piece for their concert programme called AFRICA, because I had never written for flutes and marimba before and immediately fell in love with the flutes as well as with the marimba. It is obvious that the marimba fits perfectly to African compositions because the instrument in fact arose and developed in Africa. Wikipedia tells us that an Arab traveller already described it in 1352, when he wrote about his journey through the famous kingdom of Mali. The percussive sound of the marimba provides the rhythmic pulse for all the three movements. The charm of the first movement is the constant 5+4 metrum, which gives the piece a special drive forward (hence the name: Move Forward!); the second piece surprises with the combination of the bass flute with the piccolo: while the bass laments, the piccolo is consoling and should therefore be played very careful and soft so that in indeed wipes your tears, as the title promises. The third movement finally is a powerful 12/8 jubilation with a piano solo in the beginning. This is the version for two flutes and piano.
I wish to thank Anna Rheingans, Iris Höfling and Tomoyo Ueda for the wonderful premiere in the Historic Museum of Bremerhaven on the 25th of April this year as final of a breathtaking concert. It was a great honour to be part of it. More performances are planned - the next one on the 18th of february 2017 in Oldenburg.