take nine

take nine by Bernhard Gander is an 12-minute work for a 12-part ensemble scored for:

BCl(Cl), CbCl, Cbsn(Bsn) – Hn, Tpt, Tba – Perc – Pf – Vln, Vla, Vlc, DB.

The work is based on rhythms in 9/16 and 9/8 time, but also 8/16, 8/8, 10/16 and 10/8 beats, which may seem complex at first, but sounds transparent to the audience. The main musical inspirations of Bernhard Gander are rock and heavy metal along with the jazz classics Take Five and Blue Rondo a la Turk by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond.

take nine was commissioned by the Ensemble Intercontemporain and premiered on 23 March 2012 at the Centre Pompidou, Paris conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado.