Fingerprints

This piece has everything, or almost everything, my music is about. It has elements of “dynamic motionlessness” as well as “extreme dynamic contrasts”. Sudden thrusts are followed by equally sudden periods of serenity. Audible rests are followed by a silence that gives birth to sound.
All this is part of an individual consciousness, a unique way of expression that takes root in the unfathomed realm of heredity. Thereafter, all is important: the family, upbringing, environment, first childhood impressions, dependence on and the subsequent denial of traditions, the historical period and the regime under which one’s world-view is formed. Yet, this is merely the soil for the magical phenomenon called music to grow.
I am not in a position to comment my music until I listen to it together with you, because the decisive factor in what I think about my work is not how I, but how you hear it. How people listen to it is crucial! For me, a special silence in the concert hall while my work is being performed is the highest recognition it can get.
I am delighted that “Fingerprints” will be first performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I am delighted that it will be conducted by Markus Stenz, a maestro who has treated my music favourably and with understanding.
I am delighted that Australia, one of the most “peaceful democracies” on earth, will be the first country in which I leave my Fingerprints.
That is why I am hoping for a just verdict. (Giya Kancheli)