Meditation

Meditation is the aftermath of a plan I forged with Ralph van Raat to tempt the Amsterdam Sinfonietta into commissioning a concerto for piano and string ensemble. As the likelihood of this ever happening slowly faded away, ideas about this particular combination lingered on in my mind, and after finishing a sonata for piccolo and piano, I spent a bit of spare time left over on piano practise for a recital and on tinkering with a few furtive ideas, which gradually grew into a movement.

Meditation is more a label than a studiously pursued concept. Like the label on a bottle of champagne, it doesn’t say much about its content; but it reflects perhaps my meditating along a few themes that dominate the music. Although secondary fermentation, essential in the production of champagne, does take place in the course of this movement, I could have given the process a bit more thought and allowed the mixture further ripening until ready for bottling. Meditation might then have ended up as Champagne.

The ensemble consists of

6 Violins I, 6 Violins II, 4 Violas, 4 Cellos, 2 Contrabasses and Piano solo