Equinox Suite

Equinox Suite is an arrangement by the composer of a selection of postludes from Equinox, originally written for solo violin and strings. Since the 17th century, theorists, philosophers and composers have discussed the intrinsic properties of musical keys, and their links to time and space. These discussions and ideas inspired Henning Kraggerud and the author of Sophie’s World Jostein Gaarder to collaborate on Equinox.

This takes some explaining. The original work comprises a set of short pieces by Kraggerud following the magical journey of a man diagnosed with a serious illness, who visits Earth’s 24 different time zones. The complete work is accompanied by a narration scripted by Gaarder, which describes the journey in some detail.

Each of the 24 destinations is conveyed by a postlude in a different key – beginning with C major for the starting point of Greenwich, voyaging amid the cycle of 5ths to F sharp major for Taveuni near the International Date Line, and back again. Without the complete spoken story it is hard to follow a narrative from the music alone, which is perhaps irrelevant in this shortened version. The five Postludes selected by the performers are best seen as individual character pieces with some musical references to the locations in question.