Hatching Souls (2007) 29’
7-string electric guitar, large ensemble (amplified):
fl ob bcl bn hrn trpt trbn tba 2perc cel hrp 2vlni va vc db
written for: ASKO Ensemble & myself on guitar
first performance: Muziekgebouw Amsterdam / Netherlands, april 24th, 2007
performed since: Festival "Dag in de Branding", Paard van Troje, Den Haag, december 1st, 2007 by myself and the Ensemble Royal
Commissioned by the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst
I got to write a concerto for myself, so I used a very personal guitar setup with a pimped 7-string and lots of live electronics. The ensemble part is rather complex, too, knowing I'd have an excellent group of players at my disposal. Polyphony and virtuosity feature throughout the piece, and a large variety of styles and musical textures is covered. The piece starts out with a post-flamenco kind of cadenza, permeates through intricate counterpoints and wild rock-outs to an almost David Lynch-like eeriness at the end.
I'm proud to get to use my instrument in this most "classical" of contexts, and I think I went further than the usual rock clichés. "Live electronics" is an integral part of playing this instrument, and I was happy to explore this aspect a little deeper in the last section of the piece. (There is also a suggested setup in the score for more basic live electronics that can be reproduced on a standard guitar stack. The use of a 7-string, however, is compulsory.)
Since "classical" concerti for electric guitar are rather uncommon, I tried to present the instrument in a broad way, encompassing simulated acoustic guitar sounds as well as rock textures and spaced-out electronics. I feel I've only scratched the surface of what can be done with such a hybrid setup, but a beginning is made.
listen: Hatching Souls clip
watch: 1/4 2/4 3/4 4/4
