Kris Bowers

My process for creating the Krug compositions was synesthetic. Tasting while at the piano, I first spent time finding sonorities and key centres that, for me, matched the taste of each Champagne.
The process of composing these pieces was incredibly invigorating for me. Whenever I approach a piece of music, it is always helpful to have a story or feeling I am trying to convey, and I hope the story of these Champagnes can be heard and felt in my compositions.

To convey the moody character of Krug 2006, I oscillated between a major and minor key. My Krug Echo traces the year’s capricious climate by translating weather events into sound: percussive elements and piercing notes indicate the heat wave and sunburn, while chaotic, cacophonous reverberations feel like rain. The overall rhythm hints at a common Flamenco pattern in 6, which I felt captured the essence of Krug 2006. My piece ends on a final melody as the sun begins to rise over a beautiful harvest.

With Krug Grande Cuvée 162^ème Édition, the piece needed to start with an explosion which continues, unrelentingly until the finish. I felt, although the piece begins in C major (arguably the most common key), to match the complexity of the Champagne, the piece would need to wind through various key centres, twisting and turning in a way that felt boiling, yet at the same time very natural and melodic. Also, given that Krug Grande Cuvée is often referred to as the “Orchestra,” it was important that this piece cover the fullest possible range of piano notes.