Programme notes

The fugue is for me is a state of forgetfulness, this in contrast to the perfect memory of its little brother, the canon. In a canon, one always knows where one is, but the fugue promises us a sense of place and then proceeds to lead us down dark alleys and dead ends, leaving us at a crossroads with no signs and freeway exits that only take us back to where we were…

As it turns out, psychologists listen to Bach too and borrowed the term ‘fugue’ for exactly this type of confusion. A ‘fugue state’ is a state of mind in which one “flees” one’s own identity.

No longer knowing what it is or where it is, the fugue state (like the fugue) is the paradox of a form trying to escape being a form.

Arno Bornkamp pointed out to me that there is an underlying melody in “Fugue State” which in its title neatly illustrates this paradox: ‘Body and Soul’ of Johnny Green.

Fugue State is available on Cd, see ‘Releases.’