Peter Eötvös: As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams

A “sound theatre” is what Peter Eötvös calls his composition, first performed in 1999. And indeed, in As I crossed a Bridge of Dreams theatrical elements evolve within the sonic sphere; sight and sound blend and merge into one another, the lyrics open out to where they cross the border into a music that in sonic echoes creates the evocative image of a dream play. At the heart of this dream play are excerpts form the diary of an anonymous Japanese court lady, Lady Sarashina (“Sarashina Nikki”) as she is called, dating back to Japan’s “Golden Age” in the 11th century.

With a tender poetic hand the authoress leads us through supposedly real episodes of her life, past magical characters and natural phenomena, towards a kind of voyage of longing, where subjective perception and slight unsettlement become strangely entwined.

This finds its congenial analogy in the multilayered sonic space of the music. The concurrence of imagery and sound mirrors the borderless world of the protagonist’s imagination, reflected in various instrumental layers of sound. The inner life of the Lady progresses in unison with the sonorous sound shadows of trombone, bass trombone and three voices. Other instruments, electronically amplified and expanded, create a densely atmospheric sound space that envelops the audience.

18 March | 19:00 introduction with Peter Eötvös and Cornelia Heger