Ububele

Ububele is written for Recorder Orchestra and is comprised of:

1. Amaza

2. She's still there

3. Fa wo do yi mame

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The composer Soren Sieg says: 'Ububele in Xhosa means kindness. When the famous German Comedian and Songwriter Hanns Dieter Husch was asked at the end of his life, what his work had been all about,he answered "To bring more kindness into the world". I was quite impressed when I heard this for the first time. Not 'freedom', 'justice', equality' - (so many innocents have been killed for these ideals) - no, kindness, quite a modest goal, but one we can realise and certainly a less dangerous one. Kindness and warmth were also what I encountered during my travels through Sub-Saharan Africa in an overwhelming way. And exactly this kind of positive energy I tried to express here, in my 19th African Suite. I wrote it for my first recorder workshop in Lyme Regis in February 2017 to which Tom Beets kindly had invited me. Because so many participants had brought so many low recorders (David even brought a Sub Great Bass, one under the Contra Bass I used the opportunity to write something smooth and relaxed that totally relies on the sound qualities of the low recorders; the highest part of the whole suite is a single Treble recorder. I can imagine the whole piece as well with a one to a part ensemble as with a recorder orchestra. 

The first movement, "Amaza (waves)" is especially smooth and relaxed and is in my favourite 12/8 time. This piece should be played in a really groovy way, especially the  main theme. Enjoy it, play laid back, imagine yourself in a rural village by the Victoria Sea, no laptop, no smartphone, but coconuts and pineapples growing everywhere. 

The second movement 'She's still there' is very emotional. It is about a deep love and longing, and probably (no, for sure) the longest melody I have ever written. In Lyme Regis I had long walks by the sea, which seems like an ocean there, with it's picturesque cliff coast. Imagine you are walking along an endless shore and looking to the horizon on a clear, sunny day - and then play the melody with exactly this breath and feeling. 

The third movement had a special place in my heart. :'Fa wo do yi mame' is Tiwi, a language spoken around Accra and it means 'Give me your love'. The first 19 bars can be sung by some or all members of the ensemble or played. It should be sung free and without fear - as if you are calling someone. I know many recorder players are shy about singing, but I think it would be a wonderful surprise for the audience. I like the piece so much that I wrote several versions: for choir, for choir and orchestra, for piano quartet and a cappella. I hope they will all be performed one day. But this one was the original! The expression is, as in most of my third movements, pure joy.

Score: 37 pages. 10 parts @ 8 pages ea.