Moto Immoto

Mobile I

Composer: Martin Lohse Year: 2009/2011 Worknumber: W. 35e Category: Cat 2.6 (Chamber) Duration: 11 min
Instrumentation: acc, vn, vc, cb
Quartet version, rearranged from the original 2009 electroacoustic version
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Program Note

In English

Moto Immoto (2009/2011)
Accordion, violin, cello and contrabass

Moto Immoto (motion in the motionless) is a quartet exploring motion in the motionless and an irreversible feeling of lost time and sorrow. Originally composed in 2009 as an electroacoustic piece, it has been rearranged for several different ensembles; this version for quartet was completed in 2011.

The work is built upon a pattern of six major thirds in 5/4 time that slowly cycles through all keys, forming the harmonic basis for the entire piece. While insistent figures in the accordion and strings create a rhythmic and expressive counterpoint to the slow-moving chords, the work itself maintains its underlying transcendental character.

Mobile
Mobile is a compositional technique where multiple layers of music with independent tempos, meters, and styles are integrated into a recurring chordal pattern. These chords modulate slowly through all keys, resulting in a harmonic language with minimal dissonance.

The technique synthesizes several methods developed across earlier works:

1.  Continuous Modulation: A repeating sequence of chords that modulates from start to finish, creating a state of constant motion. This was first utilized in Haiku (1999) and further developed in In Liquid… (violin and piano) (2003) and Image Balancantes (2004).
2.  Simultaneous Layers: The use of multiple independent musical layers, which has been a primary element of the music since 2000.
3.  Rhythm Across Harmony: A principle where independent motives are played in individual tempos against the rhythm of the underlying chords. This was first explored in Smoke (2000), refined in Liebestraum (Liszt arrangement from 2005) and 8 Momenti Mobile (2008), and reached its definitive form in Concerto in Tempi (2010).

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Martin Lohse 2011

In Danish

Moto Immoto (2009/2011)
Akkordeon, violin, cello og kontrabas

Moto Immoto (bevægelse i det ubevægelige) er en kvartet, der udforsker bevægelse i det ubevægelige og en uafvendelig følelse af tabt tid og sorg. Værket blev oprindeligt komponeret i 2009 som et elektroakustisk stykke og er senere arrangeret for flere forskellige besætninger. Udgaven for kvartet blev arrangeret i 2011.

Værket er bygget op omkring et simpelt mønster af seks store tertser i 5/4-takt, der bevæger sig gennem samtlige tonearter og danner det harmoniske grundlag for hele stykket. Selvom insisterende figurer i akkordeonet og strygerne skaber en rytmisk og ekspressiv kontrapunkt til de langsomme akkorder, bevarer værket sin underliggende transcendentale karakter.

Mobile
En teknik hvor forskellige lag af musik i hver deres tempo, metrik og musikalsk stil kombineres i et simpelt mønster af akkorder, som langsomt modulerer igennem alle tonearter i en uendelig sekvens, skabende en musik med ingen eller ganske få dissonanser.

Martin Lohse 2011

Audio Archive

Performances

First Performance

Saturday 14 May 2011 – Holbæk Ensemblet – Elværket, Holbæk, Denmark

Reviews

Please note: This list includes reviews across all versions of the work.

  • LOHSE: Collage de Temps; 5 Momenti Mobile; Moto Immoto
    (Nathan Faro - American Record Guide Nov/Dec 2018)
    ... It takes considerable willpower not to rewind to the beginning when it finishes...
    ... Like the rest of Lohse’s works on the album, it is a delight.
    Read full review →
  • MusicWeb International (2018)
    (Richard Hanlon - MusicWeb International)
    ... Lohse has given this (work) the lovely title Moto Immoto (Motionless motion), an apt oxymoron that utterly encapsulates this short, heartfelt piece...
    ... it certainly affected this reviewer in those terms - and easily bears repeated listening. It is revealing that this ten-minute panel lasts not a moment too long.
    Read full review →
  • Myriader af detaljer og intense klange
    (Henrik Friis - Politiken, kultur)
    The mobiles are breathlessly intense as they alternate between mournful and optimistic with equal parts chain dance and black melancholy.
    Read full review →
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