Eisenbahn, this cycle of 11 pieces for two saxophones is an important milestone in Juan María Solare's output. The pieces are dedicated to the Albanian clarinetist Ibrahim Gunbardhi, which requires telling a little anecdote:

For a few years, the composer lived as a neighbor of the clarinetist in Bremen-Lesum, Germany. Each Thursday, there were clarinet and saxophone lessons for several hours. The sounds awakened the composer and mixed themselves in his dreams. From that to composing a cycle of duos was just a simple step.

All titles of the cycle are related to the railroad (but in German): The rails meet on the horizon, Unexpected meeting in the on-board bistro, Trees passing by, Curious cows watch us go by, End station, and many others.

Why eleven pieces? Some would prefer a round number such as ten or twelve. However, eleven is the composer's favorite number - among other things because it is a prime number and because he was born on the eleventh (of August).

Musically speaking, this cycle of pieces is quite rhythmic, particularly with rhythms related to South America.

More trivia? For the basic textural idea of the eighth piece ('Nap on the train'), the composer developed an old composition exercise that he had written in the early 80s.

Three pieces of the cycle Eisenbahn (Ibrahim Gunbardhi and Thomas Sauer):
Three pieces of the cycle Eisenbahn (composer: Juan María Solare)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0_6xIGHRb0

The composer's description on the score reflects an experience that most of us had:

Imagine you are on a train.

You see different landscapes

through the window.

But somehow it's always the same.