it was quite surreal to be working on such a large orchestra piece in 2020 — to be writing the least social-distancing type of music there is as it involves so many people coming together in order to make it possible to perform — who would have thought four years ago, when I received this commission from the Berlin Philharmonic, that the premiere in 2021 would involve a very different reality than what we were used to — the piece will premiere at the end of January, without physically present audience, it will be streamed live in the digital concert hall and I hope to feel your presence there through the ether ❤️