A Play Of Charging Nightgaunts (1999) 13’
sax (alto / baritone), vc, pno, perc
written for: ARA-Ensemble, Amsterdam
first performance: ARA-Ensemble, Amsterdam, dec. 1999
performed since: by ensembles Melomania in the USA and Aarre-Ensemble in the Netherlands
An imaginary mountain desert on a nonexistent planet is being terrorized by four unreal creatures, Lovecraftian Nightgaunts, that only manifest in shadows and carry dreamers from the dreamlamds to the waking world. The shapes and dynamics of their attack are translated onto the four players, who form different groups and soloists throughout the piece. All players are equally important, and all music is based on the same theme exposed in the beginning of the piece. Apart from that, I experimented with the simultaneous presence of different, independent musics, comparable to letting two tape recorders play at the same time. There is a rather prominent polyphonic saxophone solo in the beginning, built from precisely selected multiphonics. There is also a bass clarinet version of the same piece.
listen: Nightgaunts Clip!
