Rainer Serwe

Mare Vulcanorum

The work was commissioned for the concert project "Eifelliebe" 2024. A short prologue is followed by four movements, each describing an element in connection with the conditions of the Volcanic Eifel

1. air
2. earth - slate
3. fire - volcano
4. water - maars

The first movement "air" describes a sunrise over the Volcanic Eifel, at first everything is covered in thick fog, only a few rays of sunlight reach the dew-covered meadows. Gradually, the sun breaks through and the landscape shines in bright light. The second movement, "Earth", refers above all to the property of slate as a material compacted under pressure. The musical material also consists of compression: a compressed theme of 7 bars is introduced and then layered in several successive entries. Motifs split off and immediately follow one another. A fast middle section is intended to symbolize the marketing of the slate to the whole world. This idea is taken up again in the fourth movement, when the focus is on tourism at the maars. The third movement, "Fire", is intended to express the enormous energy of a volcano and flowing lava. After the initial bubbling of the fire, the entire energy is discharged into the music. A striking bass line and loud percussion drive the music forward.