Stratifications was composed by Hans Abrahamsen in 1973-75 and was premiered in the summer 1977 by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at the Young Nordic Music Festival in Reykjavik. Programme note: The stratifications referred to in the title unfold two different levels. There is the stratification of the time dimension produced by the opposition of contrasting parts; at the same time the polyphony, the presence of several simultaneously sounding layers, is of great importance to the music. By garish colours and clear-cut outlines a polyrhythmic simultaneousness of simple melodies is produced with more gestic music and other material which give a peculiar “set piece-like” effect in the sound picture. The “new simplicity” details are here woven together in a new kind of complex whole.“Stratifications” begins with a series of concretistic masklike “pictures of the music”. It is like seeing lantern slides. But this “fictive” form crackles and the music gets attentive and real. The music is in a night-mare condition, where it is not getting anywhere in spite of a great dynamic display. But finally is liberating itself and rising “in triumph”.
| Arrangement | Orchestra |
| Genres | Post-1900 |
| Format | Score |
| Level | 4 |
| Media | Sheet Music |
| Publisher | Edition Wilhelm Hansen |
| Contributors | Abrahamsen, Hans (Artist) |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 9788759859179 |