Stefan Pohlit: "XY", trumpet concerto [2024, LIVE]

Stefan Pohlit: "XY" for trumpet & 7 instrumentalists [2024]
(pronounced as Cyrillic letters: "khū", an anagram of the Arabic invocation "hū")
Commissioned by Nenad Marković & Ensemble 2K+, composed with support of Deutscher Musikrat (Neustart Kultur) in 2022-24, including a cadence by Nenad Marković, premiered Sep. 8th 2024 in Novi Sad.
Nenad Marković / trumpet
Esra Berkman / kanun
Ensemble 2K+:
Marija Pilipović / flute
Bogdan Bikicki / clarinet
Filip Rakić / trombone
Mina Đekić / violin
Katarina Ćirić / violoncello
Ivar Roban Križić / double bass
conducted by Ivan Marković
Production:
Kulturni centar Vojvodine "Miloš Crnjanski"
Sponsors:
Novi Sad - Gradska uprava za kulturu
Kulturni centar Novog Sada
Neustart Kultur
Deutcher Musikrat
Ambasada Savezne Republike Nemačke, Beograd
In search of al-Khidr, the “Green Man” of Islamic folklore, the score reflects on the interrelations with Turkish culture in the historic Kosovo, without intending any political statement nor judgment. While the trumpet part is generally inspired by the Serbian brass tradition, some passages in the string ensemble evoke the rhapsodic folk singer Dervish Shaqa (1912-85) from Dečani/Deçan. Upon the soloist's special request, the trumpet part relies on a justly tuned instrument (see below), using the 3rd valve slide to explore further, varying interval sizes based on maqam and its foundation in the arithmetic tradition of Asia Minor. The composer also undertook an independent research trip to Kosovo.