Mentis

To many people Advent is a very special time of the year, and so it is to composer Thiemo Kraas. In his eyes, waiting on the feast of love, accompanied by so many beautiful impressions and special moments, is an invitation to find oneself. The longing for contemplation is particularly strong then, so with his little Advent fantasy Thiemo Kraas wants to stop time and offer us solitude and strength to find a moment of peaceful reflection. For his composition “Mentis” – Latin for “contemplation” – he chose two of his favorite Advent songs: The expectant-festive “Macht hoch die Tür” and the sincere “Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging”. Both songs are so wonderful because of their simplicity and depth. Due to a clever use of cue notes, “Mentis” allows for performances with almost any instrumentation – from the big wind band to smaller groups with limited personnel. It offers the possibilities of either an intimate chamber music performance or the rich sound of a full-sized band.