Left… (2014)

LEFT…, written especially for Festival Dag in de Branding (New music festival in The Hague), depicts the Werdegang of a march—a genre built on a persistent rhythm that is repeated many times, around which the other musical components move. In the first episode (the entire work consists of several episodes that seamlessly flow into one another), this rhythm is most clearly heard, and the surrounding sound is enriched by two additional quartets that, according to the composer, function as a Fernorchester (distant orchestra).

Initially, the rhythm—set in a regular pulse—is the central element. Then, the first violin part takes on a more melodic character, and gradually the other instruments shift from mere accompaniment to counterpoint. The rhythms become increasingly irregular and surprising, and the number of dynamic markings grows, causing the march to fade more and more into the background.

At the same time, many elements remain constant: the emphasis on rhythm, the choice of harmony that is not classically tonal but still somewhat tonally suggestive, a resistance to wide-ranging freedoms in tempo and dynamics that might suggest overt, extroverted expression, and phrasing that contains clear climaxes and pauses.