Works

Instrumentation (detailed)

Winds and Brass	Alto Saxophone
Keyboards	Piano

Performer(s)

Aus dem Öden Haus kam die Hexadactyl Hand is inspired by the mysterious hand from the book “Das öde Haus” by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The piece’s concept is based on the hypothetical idea that this hand had six fingers. It explores how this anatomical anomaly affects the music through a cycle of finger amputations and regenerations. The piece is divided into five sections, each featuring the loss and regrowth of a finger, resulting in the disappearance and reappearance of a musical note. Each finger represents a different note in a pitch-class set. At the end of each section, a finger is cut, which is symbolized by a box stating “Finger Amputation Ritual.” A 5-bar cycle is repeated, with 27 notes per cycle, which corresponds to the number of bones in a human hand.
These rituals draw inspiration from two cultural practices of cathartic self-harm, as the amputation rituals of the Dani tribe, a cultural practice of cathartic self-harm in Papua New Guinea, and the Yubitsume ritual, a Japanese practice of finger amputation as a form of apology or punishment.

Nuno Lobo

Work	Type	Date	Organization/Event	Venue	Town	Country	Performers	Notes	Inv Row
Aus dem öden Haus kam die hexadactyl Hand	Premiere	2023/Sep/08	Gaudeamus Festival 2023	Stadsschouwburg Blauwe Zaal	Utrecht	Netherlands	Duo Mader/ Papandreopoulos Andreas Mader (saxophone), Christos Papandreopoulos (piano), Robin Beer (conductor), Maxime Weinmann (performance)	Notes