Saravus

The composition SARAVUS was written as a commissioned piece for the 60th anniversary of the association “Bund Saarländischer Musikvereine”. It is dedicated to the St. Wendel Symphonic Wind Orchestra and its conductor - my esteemed colleague and friend Stefan Barth. The term SARAVUS is Latin and simply means SAAR. It therefore refers to the river that is native to both France and Germany. The present composition has its musical origin in a melody composed in 1921 by the music teacher Karl Hogrebe from Saarbrücken. It also is the basis of the “Saarlandlied”, Saarland’s official anthem. The Greek term metamorphosis is originally a scientific expression. It describes a transformation. Applied to music, the term refers to a technique of presenting a certain thematic material: the basic elements remain, the theme is constantly changing in character. Without pursuing a certain musical program, I have tried to let the music in this composition flow - according to the title. Thus, it is also one of the pieces that came into being “from the beginning to the end”.

Thiemo Kraas Gütersloh, October 2015