for Horn solo
The Horn-solo ‘When Lucas Sleeps’ (2020), dedicated to Jose Sogorb is as if one is looking for a formulation of a thought, but in music. As if the player reacts in the moment to a thought, a musical motif that is played by himself. A musical motifs, as a thought that the player then elaborates on.
The first four notes form the basic thought of the solo, from which the rest is developed. ‘When Lucas Sleeps’ has a recurring refrain that is never exactly the same. The next refrain is a variation on the previous one. The player returns to previous thoughts, but now formulates them slightly differently.
This idea of ‘formulating thoughts in music’ is expressed in the free, improvisational way in which the solo should be played. Very slow and free it says at the beginning of the score. The player searches his way, and sometimes has to slow down, or has to pause, because the thoughts are still forming. But sometimes a thought provokes the music to flows forward. The idea of ‘formulating thoughts in music’ also translates into the intimate character of the solo, which is underlined by mainly soft dynamics and indications such as dolce e espressivo, dolcissimo or lontano. This is also a direct link to the title ‘When Lucas Sleeps’: Lucas, Jose’s recently born son, is sleeping, while the father plays his instrument gently. He plays for his son, but at the same time the father must be careful that the son does not wake up or gets startled.