A big band is, to put it simply, a large ensemble. Like any ensemble, it is a group of people functioning for a certain time within an abstract structure. Working with such a group is a perfect opportunity to look at the tension between the social and the intimate. Many questions arise – how extensive can the musicians’ freedom be? How much can they affect the final result? Where does the composer’s responsibility start and end? How does the multiplication of the instruments affect the sense of individualism of the performers? Why do regularity, repetitiveness, and synchronicity give so much pleasure? What happens when this pleasure is taken away? 

Work on the piece coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tension between individualism and collective needs has thus been highlighted. The resolution of conflicts in this field does not seem to be easy or even possible so far. The attempt to address this problem in the domain of arts reveals further tensions. Does it also come close to finding any solutions? 

Mikołaj Laskowski