Florian Willeitner: What The Fugue

In 2012, my interest in fugues - the supreme discipline of the Baroque - became something serious. I composed "Fuga in Odd" as the final movement for my second piano trio. My studies of counterpoint by both Bach and Shostakovich provided me with an important source, but there was another: I was equally fascinated by West African groove music. Both, I noticed, are about the highly complex interplay of many layers and the harmonic interlocking of several equal voices. I had long had the ambitious idea of dedicating an entire program to the compositional playground of the prelude and fugue. But it was the pandemic in 2020 that gave me the time I needed to devote myself fully to this subject. I drew inspiration from various musical traditions and set myself the task of creating compositions based on four different "keys", each representing its own musical language. The "Orient" key is influenced by the vibrant colors and rhythmic ideas of Middle Eastern music and in particular by one of my greatest musical heroes, Tigran Hamasyan. In "Dimensions" I explored the rich harmonic possibilities of the "Super-Ultra-Hyper-Mega-Meta-Lydian Mode", inspired by Jacob Collier's innovations. The "Bach" mode, while not an attempt to imitate Bach's tonal language, is an homage to his preludes from the Well-Tempered Clavier. And finally, "The Twinkle" attempted to capture the mischievous spirit of Sergei Prokofiev by infusing the compositions with his playful energy and wit. "Simply new music played by fantastic musicians! When so much from classical music, jazz and worldwide music cultures flow together, great new art is created!" With these words, ACT founder Siggi Loch addressed the audience after our concert "What The Fugue" in the ACT Gallery in September 2022. It is an incomparable joy and honor to know that the music that my two oldest musical partners Ivan and Alexander have made with me can finally be heard. - Florian Willeitner