La suite excentrique (score)

This work is comprised of four movements. They can be performed collectively or individually. Tempos and expressiveness are clearly affected by how the conductor selects and/or prioritizes certain movements.

The 1st Movement begins as muted trumpets introduce a foggy, hazy view. The atmosphere of a whispering forest follows, concluding with a sudden, grandiose pause.

The Valse in the 2nd Movement is not bright or saucy like a Viennese waltz, but more Slavic [since I composed the last three movements in Warsaw, it inevitably became so] and somehow ethereal. After the trio, a melancholic waltz drifts towards an interrupted conclusion.

The 3rd Movement expresses abyssal solitude. The stillness suddenly quiets with the tolling of a bell.

The 4th Movement is framed with violent tutti in odd meter, like bouzouki music. The fierceness persists, warms up, then suddenly finishes with unison Major 7th bell tones.

A prominent structural element of the suite is "abruptness", particularly in the conclusion of each movement. This aspect can be treated assertively.

(Masamicz Amano)