1st movement: (2 minutes) A late summer evening in East Amsterdam. A Brazilian tango orchestra rehearses on the third floor of an apartment building on 1st Oosterparkstraat. Moments later, the jazz bassist from the US in the attic begins warming up, and the oboist originally from India on the 2nd floor begins practising his long notes. The counterpoint, separated by floors and ceilings, produces a wonderful sort of multicultural sound. Suddenly, the music freezes in fright when a police car (in the horns) drives past outside. After all, all the residents are undocumented immigrants. When it seems the expected raid is not forthcoming, the playing together resumes and is expanded. Then we hear the police car pass by again (faster this time). The tango orchestra and the jazz bassist decide to call it quits. 2nd movement: (4 minutes) In the meantime, the mice in the shops on the ground floor begin eagerly searching for food, and the oboists starts practising runs and fragments of melodies, which he thinks he remembers from Mozart. Soon, the Italian opera singer who lives next door wakes up, yawns noisily and sighs before falling back to sleep. This whole thing is only repeated once the oboist has tried to imitate the singer. – by Theo Verbey