Seven Samurai

My large-scale symphonic painting Seven Samurai is structured in five episodes. These episodes share no common themes, yet flow seamlessly into one another, with each one achieving, above all, a rhythmic intensifica tion in its own right. Driven by five taiko drummers positioned in different locations, they powerfully bring the dramatic action to life. The large orchestra provides the harmonic context within a frayed soundscape pulsating with rhythmic attacks. In the elegiac and epic finale, the harmonic texture – symbolizing a lamenting human voice – prevails against the force of the drumbeats and a persistently repeated chord progression.
Christian Jost