“Anklänge an François Couperin is the first of a cycle of six works for solo piano. The whole cycle, entitled Erinnerungsspuren, will be written for the pianist Florian Hölscher.

Each of these pieces refer to keyboard repertory that spans from the Baroque era to the twentieth century. Some pieces suggest a particular work while others make use of the language of a particular composer. Erinnerungsspuren grows from music by Couperin, Debussy, Stockhausen and Scelsi.

The approach is not based on the use of quotations or variations. It is not intended to reread these works to make explicit references. On the contrary, the approach seeks an abstract underlying concept as basis for a new work so that the new piece is a “trace of memory” from the germinal work.

In the case of the music by François Couperin, some questions come very easily: What is the relationship between ornamentation and language? What is essence and what is appearance? What is necessary and what is superfluous? In his music, a theoretical accessory - the ornament - is necessary. It is not just decorative. It belongs to the essence of the musical language. Couperin’s use of ornamentation is what gives dynamism and flexibility to the discourse, creating a rich and malleable tapestry from a simple and regular structure. This enormously enriches the result and gives “life” to the music.

Anklänge an François Couperin starts from an attempt to create something that uses dynamism and flexibility which come from different kinds of ornaments. These ornaments, like Couperin’s, are not decoration but belong to the essence of the musical material and project into the structure of the piece.”

Alberto Posadas