A Second Chamber Symphony, as if it were my First

It's a rule that I established for myself to be obeyed by me and only me: When I do something for the second time, don't repeat what I had done for the first time, even (or especially) if I had done it well. We tend to repeat things to establish a comfort zone, and in fact Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone. At least for me. And that's where the fun is. You call me stupid? Well, perhaps I am. Coz I still feel like a little kid, and I still have dreams of flying. If you want to fly you need to grow up, to grow up you need to be a kid again. To be a kid again you have to just be yourself; so come out of your cozy comfort zone, break the boundaries your are stuck in.. Only then you can fly. ............................................................................................................................................. I did it with each of my 5, going on 6, operas. I did it with my Rapsodia Nusantara that has reached 18 now (yeah yeah, some of them end with a fugue, and every 4 of them is a Theme and Variations, but I did them in different ways). And now I am doing it with my Chamber Symphony no.2, especially because the commissioner of this work is the same as for my First, which is Indonesia's 3rd President, Mr. B.J. Habibie through his Habibie - Ainun Foundation. I just don't want to give him a copy - paste of my First Chamber Symphony! ............................................................................................................................................. But let me contradict myself first. There are some similarities with my First. The most important is the instrumentation. Both are scored for a string quartet plus piano, percussion & harp, and 3 woodwinds : flute, oboe (doubl. english horn) and clarinet. But that's where the challenge lies: to explore other possibilities with the same instruments. While my First is more of a kinda Piano Concertante, this Second is more a Concerto for 10 instruments. There are important solos for many of the instruments. It is also more virtuosic (read: flashy). This time I am focusing more on the dreams of Mr. President : that Indonesia should acquire the glory we deserve, although in many things we are so much behind other countries. I immediately think of that famous phrase : Per Aspera Ad Astra (From the dust to the stars). When I designed the work's structure, I had it in mind, but then I apply this concept only for the First Movement. And for this, I use that simple motif, the most basic thing when we learn a musical instrument : the scale do-re-mi-fa-sol . And then the triad. Why am I doing this? It's because I am using the theme "Anging Mamiri" (a folk song from South of Sulawesi, the birthplace of Mr. Habibie) as one of its material, and the main melody Anging Mamiri starts with that perfect triad. Therefore I try to symbolize how a beginner starts playing the do-re-mi-fa-sol and do-mi-sol themes as the first step to later play exhilarating, sizzling variations on it. ............................................................................................................................................. Another similarity with my First, is that the central movement of the Second is a Love Song. But in the Second, I am putting a childlike character and even a playful section in it, and I do think that I focus more on the happy aspects of Love this time (which I almost never did in my hundreds of previous works!). This movement is full of duets between instruments; the whole group plays together only in the climax. My idea is that this section is full of couples in love. I want the listener to keep track and focus on which duet of instruments are playing every time. It is also an interesting sound world, combining two different instruments every time. And those duets play different roles : sometimes one instrument is accompanying the other, but other times they are both playing melodies. The beginning starts with the violin exposing its theme, answered by the cello, but other times two instruments are involved in a dialogue. I gave the title simply "A Love Song", but in fact it explores many different aspects of love. ............................................................................................................................................. This work will be, as in my First, in 3 clearly defined sections, or movements. It wouldn't be a work which many people would grasp in the first hearing, I think, in spite of its attractiveness in its flashy virtuosity. It has quite a complex structure, like the First also had, but in a different way. But hey, what would happen if you give yourself permission to do something you’ve never done before? There’s only one way to find out! ............................................................................................................................................. My Chamber Symphony no. 2 will be premiered on the birthdate of Mr. Habibie's late wife Ainun, on the 11th of August this year in his residence. The public performance of it will be on the next day, Wednesday the 12th of August at Goethe Haus, Jakarta. Jot it down in your agenda!