Clarity and structure. These are the terms that first come to mind with Tom Sora’s music. The compositions of this Romanian composer from Bucharest are extremely vivid, the music radiating a kind of physical materiality. As an uncompromising free thinker he pursues his artistic goals with diligence and concentration. Sora’s compositions are based on simple, specific musical or extra-musical ideas. Intuition remains an important principle for his method of composing and is also a significant factor in his personal musical style. This applies to his composition Heavy Metal for electric guitar and percussion. Beyond that, the title reveals nothing about the composition. As is usual with Sora, the piece follows a consistent musical dramaturgy and has nothing to do with Heavy Metal at all. On the contrary, the instrumentation, borrowed from another genre, serves to reveal Sora’s artistic individuality. Gruppenzwänge ['Peer Pressures'] is about conformity, with absolute acquiescence. Violin, viola, and cello are tightly synchronized with the same rhythms and closely bound together melodically. This is unusual for string trio writing and conveys a rather constricted impression. His Second String Trio makes clear, that an allusive title is not essential. The listener is given no clue for orientation and is entirely dependent on the unfolding musical processes. But the music does not need the crutch of a story or title: the musical events are so clearly structured that on hearing the piece one has the feeling that a story is being told