I see instruments not only as sources of sound for musical expression, but also as stage props that have their own significance. The use of early instruments representing a certain aesthetic gives rise to images of the music itself: its style, sound, and form. These images are the afterimages of the title, an optical illusion in which, after staring at a shape for a long time, when we turn our eyes away, it appears in our eyes again, for a moment, in the form of a distorted illusion with a recognisable but blurred contour. The image of music created in response to the historical instrumentation used can give rise to expectations of the piece itself, which outlines a field of play with the listener. The piece is not indifferent to the evoked spirit of early music, but, while not fully ignoring its presence, it avoids referring directly to that spirit. All references are subtle allusions, such as playing with the conventional roles assigned to instruments within the ensemble. A certain affinity of musical gestures may be recognisable, though not obvious. These references would not be graspable in any other context if they were not expected; if their fuzzy and ambiguous shape did not correspond to an afterimage of an image evoked in the listener’s imagination through context. 

Olgierd Juzala-Deprati