DECISIONS - Original by Patrik Pietschmann

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I often find myself overwhelmed — even paralyzed — by the countless possibilities our modern world offers. There are endless ways to shape a life: the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the careers we pursue, the places we live, the people we share our lives with. Every single choice we make defines who we are — and at the same time, it closes the door to countless other paths we might have taken. Many of those decisions are made for us or shaped by others — by parents, teachers, friends, or, more and more often, by algorithms that try to predict what we might like. Some choices we leave to chance, or to what we call fate. But the most important ones, we must make ourselves — consciously, and with all their consequences. Composing music isn’t so different. Every note, every chord, is a decision. Even the very first tones of a composition set its direction, long before we know where it will lead. There are infinite ways to combine twelve tones — yet in the end, it’s our instincts, influences, and emotions that decide which one comes next. Life, too, is a sequence of such moments — big and small, conscious and unconscious — shaping us into who we are. This musical piece reflects on that very idea — the art of making the right Decisions.