Trismegistus – for Clarinet and Chamber Ensemble – Nu Work in progress (2015)
Trismegistus for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra is inspired by the mystical figure Trismegistus, (also known as Hermes Trismegistus), who may be a representation of the syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.
The three parts of his wisdom are Alchemy, Astrology and Theurgy. I was fascinated to learn that during the middle ages all three religions, Chrisitanity, Judaism and Islam, had borrowed some belief in his importance, through the ‘Hermetic religion’, Some authorities regard him as a contemporary of Abraham and some Kabbalistics go so far as to claim that Abraham acquired a portion of his mystical knowledge from Hermes himself. I chose to focus on a few aspects of his teaching (Alchemy, Astrology, Theurtgy), assigning the lead role and narrative to the clarinet, while the rest of the chamber orchestra has symbolic parts and sound-painting gestures propelling the story and providing counter plot and contrast.
