Inner Voice - Dimitar Bodurov

for trombone and electronics

Bulgarian pianist and composer Dimitar Bodurov wrote Inner Voice for trombone, string quartet, and electronica for Jörgen van Rijen for his program Mirrored in Time.
The piece relates to the archaic instincts in search of our true selves, our inner voice, which defines our right from wrong. The piece is centered around a sample of a Bulgarian traditional male group singing about a newborn baby boy and his baptising. Ceremonial songs in folklore have a merely informative function, however, this one struck me as deeply mystical, almost prophetical. These male voices evoked an association as if they determine the life of that person at that very moment. A dark symbol and musical metaphor for all external voices that are embedded in our consciousness since the day we are born - parents, teachers, heroes, demons, and fears. Voices that we have to learn to listen to, fight and forgive throughout the journey of distinguishing our own inner voice.

In structural terms, the main protagonist is the trombone, which is in constant dialogue and duel with both with the string quartet (the heritage - family and social voices) and the electronica (the future - his alter ego and personal ambitions).

The music software Ableton Live serves as a live sampler, sequencer, and effect processor at the same time. All electronic sounds are derived of prerecorded material from either the trombone or the voices from the song, which creates a very thick and organic sound texture that resembles yet an alter-orchestra. The trombone player uses several midi controllers operated by foot and hand as some sort of helpless conductor of himself. While the string quartet, as the chorus, commenting but also complementing, supports the drama and gives perspective. Synchronicity is definitely an underlying challenge with irregular time structures over layers of sounds and the rubato singing heard in the main sample.

The premiére took place on the 11th June 2022, at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. The piece is also included in the album Mirrored in Time by Jörgen van Rijen and Alma quartet, released on the the 1st January 2023.