DOUBLE WIND QUINTET MUSIC

About Tetris

Tetris is an 18‑minute work for double wind quintet inspired by the relentless pace, density, and psychological pressure of New York City. Written for the Hindemith Quintet and commissioned by the Hochschule für Musik Mainz, the piece unfolds in four connected movements that mirror the city’s breathless motion, its hidden lives, and its constant demand for speed. The writing highlights the ensemble’s vast coloristic range—from tightly interlocking rhythmic blocks to dark, subterranean textures—creating a vivid portrait of urban energy, alienation, and human endurance.

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For the Performers

Level: Ideal for advanced students and emerging professionals; demands rhythmic precision, stamina, and confident ensemble coordination.
 

Programming: Highly effective in contemporary chamber concerts, academic programs, and large‑ensemble recitals seeking a vivid, narrative‑driven work.
 

Audience Impact: Strong audience impact due to its fast pace, cinematic energy, and immediately recognizable urban atmosphere.
 

Educational Use: Often programmed as a faculty‑and‑students ensemble, allowing mixed‑level performers to play together naturally because all parts are doubled.
 

Style: Urban, tightly interlocked writing contrasted with dark, atmospheric textures.
 

Venue Fit: Works well in medium and large halls where the full decet sonority can resonate.

Program Notes

Tetris — for double wind quintet, was written during the fall of 2009 in New York City. The city, with its fast pace of life, neurotic flow, continuous stream of people, traffic, and information, serves as the inspiration for this piece. Watching from the sidelines, the fast-moving people appeared to me like robots controlled by an above force, mechanically moving from one place to another, fighting against the clock, against the part of the brain that says – “Relax!” and against each other. Surviving amidst a jungle of brick walls and tall buildings. It seemed to me that people could not enjoy a full basic inhale-exhale process. Good breathing consumes too much time.

People were constantly looking for ways to juggle between many things at the same time. They seemed to me like Tetris players who try to match the bricks to a certain pattern, constantly in demand to increase speed. Though to the stranger, this pace of life looks fascinating and exciting, I felt that deep inside things look a bit different, quite tragic.

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The piece consists of four connected sections: Keep moving, Gutter People, Getting busy, and Keeping busy. The first and fourth movements refer to the continuous, breathless pace of life. Restless people are the subject of the third movement, a short satire. The second movement is inspired by the thousands of people who spend all their lives in the cellar of a restaurant or shop after immigrating from far away, only to serve the ever-hurrying people above them.

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Tetris was written for the Hindemith Woodwind Quintet. It was commissioned by the Hochschule für Musik, Mainz with kind support from the Annie Eisler Lehmann Stiftung.