Six is performed by the Schönberg-ensemble, the Peter Jessen Quintet, Jeroen Schippers (flghrn), Jeroen Geevers, Gerda Tuinstra & Martin de Greef (perc.) and Matthew Midgely (Cb)
In recent works for Chamber-music ensembles I’m investigating the influence of a chosen number on the process of composition. The first was Three (Horn, Violin and percussion; 2005) and I’ve just finished Seven (String-quartet).
Six (2006) is about the number six: how does it sound when six is the guiding number of a composition? and when decisions in large scale form and small frases is determined by this number?
Thoughts I have with the number six: it’s a unitary perfect number, it’s my favourite number and my players-number when I played football, years ago; there are six Brandenburg Concerto’s and six Tchaikovsky- and Martinů Symphonies and there is Route 66.
The first part of Six is a kind of lazy music with a ritual character. The different instruments do their own thing which sometimes coincide (first 6 min.). The second part is a rhythmically up-tempo music with virtuoso solo’s (next 4 min.). The final part is ecstatic. A kind of overwhelming white light in which time is stopped (last 2 min.).
Six is about Paul Klee and Six is about Miles Davis. Six is about “A line is a dot that went for a walk”.
