Michael Schultheis: ...in a mirror, darkly... for piano trio (2023)

Live recording,
Johanniskirche Hagen (Germany), 14.06.24
Eevi Hannonen, vl
Aiki Mori-von Schnitzler, vc
Junko Shioda, p

National anthems are not always a simple testimony to a country's history. They can be historically charged or have been created under completely different social circumstances that are unfamiliar today. They often tell of the struggle for peace and sovereignty, many have a military gesture, powerful and defiant. The French national anthem, the Marseillaise, is a particularly drastic example of such a text, written during the French Revolution to mobilize the people against a ruling and social order that was perceived as unjust. And although the revolutionaries' cause was good and important, the thirst for blood sung about is highly questionable.
This composition was written on the occasion of a concert on the theme of peace, while the war in Ukraine is raging on the outskirts of Europe. It is to be understood as a personal commentary: Wars are always low points of humanity, the killing of people does not deserve heroic songs. The aim of the composition is therefore to show the Marseillaise musically in all its conflicting aspects, to clip its military wings and give it back the complexity of the war it sings about. The title of the piece, a quotation from the Book of Kohelet, describes the compositional principle of the piece: the catchy melody of the Marseillaise disappears behind a murky veil, loses its marching character and is now embedded in delicate sound gestures. The first few notes of the melody are the basis for the motifs of the composition almost throughout, even if this is not always audible.

More information on www.MSchultheis.com