In 2012, my interest in fugues – the supreme discipline of the Baroque era – turned into something serious. I composed “Fuga in Odd” as the final movement for my second Piano Trio. My studies of the counterpoint of both Bach and Shostakovich provided me with one important source, but there was another: I was equally captivated by West African groove music. Both, it struck me, involve the highly complex interplay of many layers and the harmonious intertwining of several equal voices.

I had harbored the ambitious idea of dedicating an entire programme to the compositional playground of prelude and fugue for quite a while. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic in 2020 that I actually found the time I needed to immerse myself fully and properly in it. Drawing inspiration from diverse musical traditions, I carefully set about the task of crafting compositions based on four distinct “keys”, each representing a unique musical language. The key “Orient” is influenced by the vibrant colours and rhythmic ideas of Middle Eastern music, and in particular one of my greatest musical heroes, Tigran Hamasyan. In “Dimensions”, I delved into the rich harmonic possibilities of the “super-ultra hyper-mega-meta-lydian mode”, inspired by Jacob Collier’s innovations. The key “Bach”, though not an attempt to mimic Bach’s tonal language, pays tribute to his preludes from the Well-Tempered Piano. And lastly, “The Twinkle” sought to capture the mischievous spirit of Sergei Prokofiev, 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 flows together, great new art is created!” These were ACT founder Siggi Loch’s words to the audience after our “What The Fugue” concert at the ACT Gallery in September 2022. It is an incomparable pleasure and honour to know that the music which my two oldest musical partners Ivan and Alexander made with me can now finally be heard.
-Florian Willeitner