Zero Star Cognac is an orchestral piece in three movements which draws inspiration from the poem Zero Star Cognac by the greek poet Kiki Dimoula. In this poem a photograph arouses memories and nostalgic feelings to the poet about the beautiful, carefree and vivid moments of the past that over the years have vanished. The title of the poem Zero Star Cognac refers the inevitable loss of her youth and its vigour due to the relentless passing of time. In the composition, I created a metaphor of this idea, reflecting musically the transcience of the beautiful, romantic, innocent, childlike and naïve part of ourselves that can easily fade away due to external influences. In Kiki Dimoula’s poem, the distancing of the beautiful is not upon us but upon time, as time is the crucial factor of that distancing. In the metaphor I created, this kind of ephemerality depends on our decision to keep alive or not this romantic, innocent and honest aspect of ourselves throughout the course of our lives. Thus, throughout the whole piece two contrasting elements are featured:
a) The musical element of the “inner, innocent and romantic self” is inspired by the theme of “youth” explored in the poem b) The musical element of the “external influences of a decaying chaotic world” is inspired by the theme of “time” explored in the poem. In an attempt to depict musically these features, I combined both expressive, lyrical and melodic musical material to reflect the youth/innocence, as well as contemporary elements and techniques – where polyrythms, extended techniques and ambiguities prevail – in order to express the passing of time/the intrusion of the “external”. The piece has a linear narrative character which is based on the idea of the gradual distancing of youth/ innocence. This idea determines the formal structure of the piece. The intensity of the presence of youth/innocence is different in each movement. For example, it is more intense in the first movement, less obvious in the second movement and more subdued and faint in the third movement.
Zero star cognac
The prattle of tears is all to no avail.
When disorder speaks order must remain silent – loss is very experienced indeed.
Now we must stand by the side of What’s futile.
So that memory can little by little recover its eloquence
So it may offer fine advice on longevity
To whatever’s dead. Let’s stand by the side of this little
Photograph still in the prime of its future: young people embracing somewhat unavailingly before an anonymously merry beach.
Is this Nafplio Euboea Skopelos? But then again Wasn’t everywhere by the
sea back then?
Kiki Dimoula