…die dicke Wand macht sich auf die Dauer doch bemerkbar… 2024

Commissioned composition as part of the award of the Carl von Ossietzky Composition Prize for Contemporary Music 2024 in the city of Oldenburg. "Im Gefängnis gewesen sein, das ist ein großes Erlebnis, das kein politischer Mensch aus seinem Dasein streichen kann. Es ist die Berührung mit einer abgesonderten Welt, die eingemauert zwischen uns ragt und von der wir weniger wissen als von Tibet oder der Osterinsel." - reflects Carl von Ossietzky in "Rückkehr" (Die Weltbühne, 1932, Pages 925-926) after enduring 227 days of imprisonment for his unwavering commitment to truth and justice. Excerpts from Ossietzky's letters, written within his prison cell, serve as the thematic foundation for this piece, shedding light on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The conditions of imprisonment, the monotony, and the confinement of prison life are present and intensify the feeling of isolation and oppression. The theme of absence is prevalent in the piece in various dimensions. Ossietzky's absence for his wife, daughter, friends and society. And conversely, the absence of society for the incarcerated, crushed by the silence and emptiness of the walls. The music weaves fragments of his words into its fabric, illuminating his states of introspection, defiance, loneliness, longing for freedom, but also hope, as well as the determination and courage to uphold his principles even in the darkest of times.