Moto Immoto

Mobile I

Composer: Martin Lohse Year: 2009/2016 Worknumber: W. 35g Category: Cat 1.3 (Ensemble) Duration: 11 min
Instrumentation: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0 - 2 vn, va, vc, cb
Version for sinfonietta, rearranged from the original 2009 electroacoustic version
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Other Versions

Program Note

In English

Moto Immoto (2009/2016)
Mobile I
Sinfonietta

Moto Immoto (motion in the motionless) is a sinfonietta work exploring motion in the motionless and an irreversible feeling of lost time and sorrow. Originally composed in 2009 as an electroacoustic piece, it was rearranged for live symphony orchestra in 2010, with this arrangement completed in 2016.

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 strings and brass 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 2016

In Danish

Moto Immoto (2009/2016)
Mobile I
Sinfonietta

Moto Immoto (bevægelse i det ubevægelige) er et sinfoniettaværk, 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 senere arrangeret for live symfoniorkester i 2010 og sinfonietta i 2016.

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 strygere og messingblæsere 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 2016

Audio Archive

Performances

First Performance

Tuesday 3 March 2026 – David Lau Magnussen and The Danish Chamber Players – CD recording, Dacapo 8.226590: "Collage de Temps"

Other Performances

Please note: This is not a complete list. It includes live performances and radio broadcasts across all versions of the work. While the archive is highly comprehensive for earlier years, recent entries show only a fraction of the 500-1.000 annual performances across the composer's complete catalog, reflecting only those events reported to and logged by the composer.

  • Dacapo recording
    Fuglsang Concert Hall, Toreby, Denmark (inst.: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0 - 2 vn, va, vc, cb)
    Wednesday 25 May 2016 – Thursday 26 May 2016
  • Dacapo recording
    Fuglsang Concert Hall, Toreby, Denmark (inst.: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0 - 2 vn, va, vc, cb)
    Tuesday 17 May 2016 – Wednesday 18 May 2016

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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