Curtains In an Open Window

Verhot avoimessa ikkunassa
Curtains In an Open Window
for violin and guitar
Requested by and written for Patrik Kleemola
I   Lento sensibile
 II   Allegro con moto
III   Andante espressivo e narrante
Fp: Patrik Kleemola and Juha-Pekka Vikman
March 7th 2017, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum,  Turku, Finland
Fbp: Patrik Kleemola and Juha-Pekka Vikman
28th August 2021, Sibelius Museum, Turku, Finland
Broadcasting by Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE
CD: Pertti Jalava – And I left the Door Open (Pilfink Records)

Curtains in an Open Window is one of the many works commissioned from me by my longterm collaborators Juha-Pekka Vikman and Patrik Kleemola. The atmosphere of the first part is tranquil. The curtains sway quietly in the caress of the gentle breeze. At the beginning of the second part, a rhythmic motif is briefly introduced, which soon breaks down into leisurely fragments to gather energy. After the rhythmic motive gathers again, it dominates most of the time, gradually becoming aggressive. This rhythmic motif is one of the many mathematical games I play in my music, in which the rhythm is formed from a repetitive formula, where the number of beats increases and decreases: 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4… After the motif reaches its most furious point, the mood suddenly calms down. The broad harmony of the guitar gradually curls into a minor second, while stilling. The third part oscillates between a dreamy and lively, even aggressive atmosphere. At the end, dreamlike dissonant harmonies lead leisurely to the serenity.