is a work in which I explore the extent to which songs by The Beatles—which have a high, almost iconic social identification—can be deconstructed in such a way as to retain at least a residual recognisability. 

The title itself already shows the direction of my thinking. The starting point is the music of the legendary band from Liverpool. The particle “-less,” on the other hand, suggests reduction, loss, the impossibility of influencing in a certain way. The title also has a second meaning. The neologism beatless describes a certain characteristic of the composition: the absence of a beat. This second meaning of the title describes my approach to orchestral texture, in which I deliberately create and destroy the sensation of beats, atomising the material (not only rhythmic, but also harmonic and timbral), erasing its contours in favour of granularity. In this way, what is initially legible (within the piece itself or outside of it in relation to The Beatles’ music) becomes blurred, yet by being less obvious it is also much more intriguing. In Beatles(s), I draw on a pop culture icon and significantly process this source of inspiration in a creative way, blended with my musical language. I am very interested in such multilevel relationships, showing hidden similarities when what is apparent is mere differences and strong contrasts. 

Paweł Hendrich 

The publisher of Beatles(s) by Paweł Hendrich is PWM Edition.