A movement for piano trio alone from the multimedia music theatre work Constantinople, Odd World takes its name from its rather eclectic musical content - which includes references to Celtic fiddling, the music of Stravinsky and Brahms, and numerous points in between - and from the fact that the work has an odd-numbered rhythmic and formal structure. The piece is in 5/8 and each phrase is seven measures long. Larger sections of the movement also reflect odd-number relationships. After a while these odd meters and phrases come to be expected as a matter of course so the music sounds much more symmetrical and consistent than one might expect given its numerical makeup.
Born in Greece, educated in the United States and a Canadian citizen since 1985, composer Christos Hatzis (b.1953) is becoming widely known as a leading figure in contemporary classical music. His works are performed and broadcast throughout the world, and their frequent combination of a powerful spiritual foundation with an immediately accessible appeal has made a deep emotional impact upon audiences and performers alike.
