Elementen

January 2004, aarschot

This piece has a long history. Actually, the last parts were ready in july 2003. But I had given up membership of SABAM, the belgian association for copyrights, in 2002. But then i got a notice that I was still obliged to send in my new music until the end of 2003. So I did not write any.

In 2001 I wrote 'ahua' for the schoolchoir which I conducted at that time. 'Ahua' was about water, and someone in the audience suggested I should write something about all basic elements. A few months later I started to conducting Markant, which was (and still is) a very nice experience. I decided to do a whole concert with my own music after a few years. That would be 'Elementen'.

I decided to write about all 4 elements, but each one would have a different angle. About that time, I began to develop an interest in electronic music. So the piece would be for choir with electronic sounds. I did not use live electronics back then. I was not familiar whith the concept yet.

The whole cyclus is performed and recorded by Vocaal ensemble Markant, which has my eternal gratitude for that. The score can be downloaded as a pdf. There is a separate download to 'The Games' which is a collection of playing cards. All source files (sibelius and openoffice) can be find here.

	Ouverture The ouverture was written last. It consists of the main themes of the other music. The basis is one sample, borrowed from 'Propellerheads': "George, get set for a mindblowing afternoon". The 'i' of mindblowing is repeated throughout the piece, constantly changing in color by use of some filters. The music tends to get on people's nerves, which I like.
	Richter 7.7 This part was written in 2000, commisioned by "ANZ Limburg", A choir federation. Originaly it had a piano part, which I replaced by an electronic part.
	Richter 7.7, part 2 A newly added piece in which electronics are mixed with fragments of a mass by Johannes Ockeghem.
	Helios Also new, for mixed choir, solo tenor and electronics. (In hindsight, not the best part of this work.)
	The Games The most fun part to perform, as the score exists of some 50 playing cards. The performers use the cards to determine what to sing and are rewarded with steps forward for it. The goal is to reach the other side of the performance space.
	from King Lear For choir a capella. A study about silence. This was also written in 2002, for the vocal ensemble Markant.
	Ahua, part 1 Originally for my school choir, with soloists and piano. Now reworked for mixed choir and electronics.
	Ahua, part 2
	Ahua, part 3
	Encore A basic setting of Christina Rossetti's "A Birthday". It seemed funny to end with with something totally unfit in this context.