Meme
for 2 violas and orchestra
Year of Composition
2006
Instrumentation
Duration
22':00"
Dedication
Nobuko Imai and Susanne van Els
Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Percussion, Harp, Piano, Celesta, Violin, Viola, Violoncello, Double Bass
Lyrics
Commissioner
Financial Support
-
Zaterdag Matinee
Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst
Publisher
Donemus
(Premiere: 3 November 2007 – Concertgebouw, Amsterdam – Susanne van Els, Nobuko Imai, Radio Chamber Philharmonic, conducted by Otto Tausk (ZaterdagMatinee))
The piece contains many repeated notes and recurring motifs, which pass back and forth between the two violas. Hence, the title Meme, derived from the Greek mimema, meaning “imitation.” At times, the gestures of both instruments almost coincide, so that they sound as one, as if one instrument identifies itself with the other to the point of complete self-surrender. — Willem Jeths