The year 1991 was the bicentenary of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. New Music Concerts held a competition for new works to commemorate the occasion. For me the competition provided an opportunity to explore the idea of musical transformation: that is, to treat recognizable material in ways that would explore the continuum between direct quotation and unrecognizability.
The title Neue Bilder comes from an exhibition of artwork I visited during a tw0-week sojourn in Salzburg in 1985. The exhibit was filled with work inspired by Mozart, who is a a major tourist attraction there. One canvas had Mozart chocolates stuck onto i, a commentary on his marketability; another work by Arman, the one I found most inspiring, was a display case containing a (chaotic) jumble of music paraphernalia. I appreciate the humour in the exhibit and the irony of being in Salzburg surrounded by Mozart’s presence, a place he couldn’t wait to leave! I hope there is a gentle spirit of ironic humour in my piece along with some reverence for the beauty of Mozart’s music.
JAMES HARLEY
1. Neue Bilder
2-4. Portrait
5. Épanoui
6. Tyee
7. aXis
