TANZENDES LICHT / Dancing Light

for solo trumpet, big band and string orchestra

Dancing Light (2007) was commissioned by the Camerata Bern and the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, as a homage to Paul Klee. After initially feeling that a direct reference to Klee’s paintings would be unfitting, I saw an inner image that I wanted to set to music. Most people will be familiar with this: one is standing by a large stretch of water, a lake, or by the sea. The sun is setting and one sees a streak of lights across the water: thousands of small dancing sparks of light. This image has often touched me deeply. It has something of the eternal journey of the soul. The sparks appear and are gone again in a flash, but all the dancing sparks together are life, full of impulsive strength.
I then sat down at the piano and found a simple musical figure in 9/8 time, from which the whole piece evolved. The figure is almost always present, and connects various moments. I deliberately kept the 9/8 time throughout the composition, and thus discovered many possibilities in this rhythmic structure. Apart from the solo trumpet, I wanted to introduce as many soloists from the Jazz Orchestra as possible, so as to make the piece very colorful.
The homage to Klee is an artistic one – Klee too would surely have focused on his very own impressions and ideas. What would he have felt when listening to Tanzendes Licht?

In 2011 we saw a performance of TANZENDES LICHT by the famous dutch Metropole Orkest at the Holland Festival, performed at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam under the direction of Jules Buckley. For this occasion the instrumentation has been enlarged, and a CD has been released of this performance.

Markus Stockhausen

TANZENDES LICHT

for solo trumpet,
big band and string orchestra
- a homage to Paul Klee

Instrumentation:

Solo Trumpet
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2
Tenor Saxophone 1
Tenor Saxophone 2
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet 1
Trumpet 2
Trumpet 3
Trumpet 4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Trombone 3
Bass Trombone
Guitar
Piano
Bass Guitar
Drums
Violin 1
Violin 2

Commissioned by the Camerata Bern and the Swiss Jazz Orchestra
Premiered in 2007 in Bern

Aktivraum Musikverlag, Köln 2007
ISMN: M-700233-23-5

TANZENDES LICHT: Version for the Metropole Orkest

for Solo Trumpet, Big Band, String Orchestra and Winds

Premiere of this extended version for the Metropole Orchestra on June 25th, 2011 at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam for the Holland Festival, conducted by Jules Buckley

Instruments:
Solo-Trumpet in B-flat and C / Flugelhorn in B-flat
Flute 1 / Piccolo Flute
Flute 2 / Alto Flute / Piccolo Flute
Oboe / English Horn
Alto Saxophone 1
Alto Saxophone 2 / Clarinet
2 Tenor Saxophones
Baritone Saxophone
Horn in F
4Trumpets / Flugelhorns
3 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Harp
Guitar (acoustic and electric)
Piano
Electric Bass (no double bass!)
Drums
Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Violoncello
Double Bass

Aktivraum Musikverlag, Köln 2007
ISMN: M-700233-28-0 Tanzendes Licht MCO



CD-Releases

There are 3 CD-releases: Symphonic Colours (Aktivraum), Tanzendes Licht / Trimorphum (Aktivraum) (on this Cd you find the same recording) and “Markus Stockhausen and the Metropole Orkest” (Intuition).

2013 - Markus Stockhausen and the Metropole Orkest

A testimonial to the terrific cooperation of the multi-stylistic composer and the exceptional orchestra unique in all of Europe.

2009 - Symphonic Colours

Jazz meets Symphony – Markus Stockhausen is one of the most versatile musicians of our time, being equally at home as trumpeter, improviser and composer, in jazz, contemporary and classical music.

2008 - Tanzendes Licht & Trimorphum

Markus Stockhausen with the Swiss Jazz Orchestra and the Camerata Bern. Tanzendes Licht is one of his finest compositions.