Hämmerklavier XXXIVa: Endless

"Endless" is potentially infinite in duration, as it has no specific ending. Much like in a "choose-your-own-adventure" book, the performer can decide—after each of the 30 musical sections—how and whether to proceed. Many of these sections also offer internal possibilities for variation, which are explained in the score. Composed for and dedicated to Susanne Kessel’s "FREIHEIT!" project, the piece serves as a preliminary study for the hour-long Hämmerklavier XXXIVb: Murakami, which will use these same sections as its foundation (incidentally, the number of sections corresponds to the character count of a quote by Murakami).
Performance Instructions:
The four pages of the score should be printed out and laid side-by-side on the music stand so that all 30 sections are visible at once. The intended duration of the performance can be decided in advance, though this decision may also be altered spontaneously during the performance. It is not necessary to play every section; alternatively, one might choose to continue until every part has been played at least once.
The performance always begins with Section 1. Framed text within the score indicates the available paths forward; for Section 1, these are 4, 18, 20, 17, 16, 9, 8, 7, and 13. The performer selects one of these sections to continue, which in turn offers further options, and so on.
The piece is deliberately composed so that some sections are "more likely" or easier to reach, while others are "hidden"—like in a labyrinth—and must first be discovered. Consequently, the "frequent" sections often offer opportunities for variation, whereas the "rare" sections are frequently fully composed out. The attached diagram illustrates exactly how the sections are interconnected. The role of Section 1 is to establish a fundamental tone or interval that is intended to sound until Section 1—the most frequently linked section—is reached again.
The pianist can decide in advance how the performance is to be structured: either improvisational or "planned." In an improvisational performance, decisions about how to proceed are made spontaneously. This requires considerable skill and a particularly thorough knowledge of the score. Such decisions will inevitably create something akin to a brief fermata at the end of a section—while this pause should be kept as short as possible, it is musically acceptable.
A "planned" performance involves deciding on a specific path through the connections beforehand, allowing for a more musically fluid rehearsal process.
How and when should the piece end? That is up to the performer to decide. This struck me as a fitting concept for a piece about freedom—at a time when freedom is under threat worldwide as never before.
Moritz Eggert