Erichthónios
op. 7, 1993, rev. 2017
For violin solo
Duration: 6 min.
World premiere: 1993, Berlin. Violin: Corinna Jacoby
Composer’s notes
Erichthónios is a sacred snake in the Greek Mythology, a gift from mother Earth named Gaia to goddess Athena. The people of Athens cared for the snake which lived in a temple on the Acropolis. Ever since, the temple is called Erechteio.
The composition was inspired by the idea and fact, that something can be dangerous and sacred at the same time. Erichthónios is a presentation of short melodic and rhythmic actions which have a hasty character but need space to establish a continuity without breaks. The different phrases are connected like waves of inhaling and exhaling.