African Inspirations

As the title already suggests, the piece „African Inspirations“ is inspired by the fascinating rhythms and songs of Africa. It was not attempted to merely copy original African tunes. Markus Götz rather strived for a new work for band that completely relies on the spirit and atmosphere of that kind of music. This explains the preponderance of pentatonic scales, while the driving rhythm of the drums (African djembes or alternatively congas and toms) is responsible for the complete sound of the piece. Following a powerful introduction, the percussion instruments whip the orchestra through an allegro section. The central part makes is kind of a caesura as its blues-oriented harmonies evoke the closeness of African music and jazz. After a reprise of the allegro part, the piece ends in a rapid coda.