Suite concertante

‘The dialogue between a human being, whose physical existence is limited, and the energies surrounding him, which are boundless, as well as their coexistence and mutual influence, have always thematically shaped many of my works, including the Suite concertante, in the background. Although this suite was conceived without an extra-musical programme, its musical language is nevertheless symbolic and multi-layered and allows for a variety of interpretations. The baroque idea of a suite with a reference to dance can also be applied to this work in a certain way. What is our life but a constant, ever-changing dance with time?
The material for the ‘Suite concertante’ comes from the three prelude cycles (24 preludes each for piano solo, violin and piano and cello and piano) that I composed in 1999. Taken together, these cycles result in a threefold journey through all major and minor keys. Combining the material of these three cycles into one work gave me the opportunity to condense my own experiences with the prelude cycles and to show their inner connections. At the end of the suite, all 24 major and minor keys pass like shadows and lead us back to the beginning of the work, bringing us full circle.
The music of the Suite concertante reflects the fragile and often tragic thinking of our time. The search for sounds from the silence holds the individual movements together like a thread leading out of a labyrinth. Perhaps only in silence can one perceive the steps of time.’ (Lera Auerbach)