The composition “Respicere” was commissioned on the occasion of the 1250th anniversary of Röhlingen and written for the Röhlingen Community Band and their conductor Michael Seckler. It is dedicated to the chairman Ludwig Kurz, who envisioned the commission. After many talks and intense communications with Ludwig Kurz, I quickly collected formative ideas for the composition. From an early point it was clear that it should be a piece full of solemnity to meet the requirements of the village’s momentous 1250th Anniversary in 2014. When you search for the term “Respicere” in a dictionary, you find translations from Latin such as “look back” or “respect”. This was meant to be the focus of my composition: pride and happiness should prevail when you look back on all that you have achieved in an intact village community over many years. In everyday life you do not take the time to look back on the things that make you glad and thankful. The idea of respect for other people as an essential component of communal life was the force behind this composition and found its expression in the different interpretations of the title. “Respicere” is a solemn overture in an A-B-B-Coda form. It begins with a festive and slow paced procession, followed by a contemplative passage leading to a Vivo Veloce. Based on the thematic material of the beginning the music develops full of happiness, lightness and optimism. These are also characteristics of people who dynamically face the future. Again and again we hear musical elements from the beginning, treated in multifarious ways but without losing the intentional core. A reprise of the Vivo part is followed by a short and bright coda, leading “Respicere” to a vivid conclusion.
Thiemo Kraas