The composition “Gravitation-Space” was written for a large cast. The instrumentation is full of the extended wind ensemble, including varieties of woodwinds and brass, electronic instruments (electric and bass guitar), and a drum kit.

In contrast to the apparent possibilities of the ensemble (a large brass band, jazz-rock orientation), a single homogeneous sound is created in the piece. Colors, timbre, and spectral techniques of sound are essential here.

An essential component of the idea is the model: gravity-space. It is a model of the gravitational time change (formulated in the general theory of relativity). The appropriate analogy is applied: musical material’s density is analogous to matter’s mass. The more massive the chord (conditionally, it consists of many voices), the more “mass” it has. The speed of sound motion should accelerate near massive objects, just as a massive star attracts an object flying near it with increasing force. It has concrete expression in the structure of the play. There are objects of “small mass” that have little effect on the speed of the sound fabric (rhythm), and there are supermassive objects that have a considerable impact.

The composition was inspired by Brian Greene’s “The Elegant Universe” and the Jupiter and Beyond Infinity scene from Stanley Kubrick’s A Space Odyssey 2001.

I created the piece for the young academy composers meeting in 2007. The condition was to keep the timing – at most 3-4 minutes. Gravitation-Space was written for the De Ereprijs ensemble.