Murder Investigation

for alto saxophone, accordion & double bass

Instrumentation:
alto saxophone, accordion & double bass

Duration:
6’45”

First performance:
Ensemble POING, Viitasaari Time of Music festival 2017

Program notes:

Last month the whole town was shaken by the latest murder case: wealthy widow Mrs von Taffelsson was found dead in the bathroom of her expensive residence. Initially considered an accident, the case became more complicated when it was established that the death was a result of arsenic poisoning. In the evening preceding the night of the murder, Mrs von Taffelsson had entertained her friends serving, amongst other things, foie gras and sandwiches, when, after a conversation about a diamond transaction, indignant Mrs Lindenbaum had left the dinner party.

After an otherwise quiet evening, the hostess had opened a letter from her late husband’s business partner, K. V. Lindholm, who had paid court to Mrs von Taffelsson ever since her husband, Mr von Taffelsson, had died in suspicious circumstances on a golf course. According to a recent change in her will, Lindholm was to inherit rest of the family business after the passing of Mrs von Taffelsson.

After investigation, the police is, however, on grounds of surprising genetic relationships and other circumstances favourable to finding a person guilty, ready to arrest the butler who served the dinner. This is when, to the amazement of all, an immeasurably valuable painting by an Italian Renaissance master is discovered missing from the bedroom of Mrs von Taffelsson.

(text by Tuomas Kettunen, translation by Jarkko Hartikainen)