| Symphony #1 (2006-2009)
for large symphonic orchestra
“My first symphony was commissioned by the 'Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’ [CPO] and premiered on March 12 & 13, 2009 in the Dvorak Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Charles Olivieri-Munroe.
History
Many people wonder how a "small Belgian composer" receives a commission from just one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world. All this is thanks to Professor Vaclav Riedlbauch, Its General Manager of the Rudolfinum. For several years he gave a different interpretation to the 'Prazské Premiery ", a festival of contemporary music each year at the beginning of spring in Prague. For the 2006 edition was a selection of orchestral and chamber music works from the Germanic world that were written after 2000 and have not been performed in Prague. About 50 composers from the Netherlands, Flanders, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Austria had a Prague premiere and faced Czech work.
My "Tableau" for orchestra, composed in 2002 for the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra was during 2006 Praszké Premiery beautifully performed by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jakub Hrusa. Following this success, I was commissioned to compose a symphonic work of 25 to 30 minutes. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra took my symphony in its subscription series.
Supported by a VLAC Fellowship through the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium, I could spend a period of one year exclusively to work on this symphony.
"Hang", a new melodic percussion instument
The symphony consists of three parts. Part 1 is a sonata. Part 3 is written in a varation form. In the mid-section gets the 'hang' a prominent place. The "hang" is a new, beautifully melodic percussion instrument conceived in Bern, Switzerland in 2002.
In Amsterdam I met Davide Swarup who plays this instrument and who has extensively demonstrated the instrument to me.
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