Narcissus' Mirror
for SATB choir

Work no. 161
2020

I know precisely what the piece is about, but it is one of those cases where the inspiration is too personal to share, so I can't talk about it. What I can say is that this is another in a series of pieces preoccupied with canons and mirror images. The alto and tenor parts are sung twice. In the second half of the piece they form a kind of a mirror, and the soprano part from the first half becomes the bass part of the second. The sopranos do not get any music to sing in the second half, though. The reflection remains, but the original has disappeared.

I was thinking also of the old folk superstition (from England?) which says that when you can't see your shadow, it might get stolen. And so one should avoid walking anywhere if the sun is in front of them – better wait until it's behind you, or else choose a different destination.