Symphony No. 1

Symphony No. 1 was commissioned by the National Orchestra of Belgium (ONB) and Bozar in 2011 to mark the orchestra's 75th anniversary. The world premiere took place in the Salle de concerts Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte in Luxembourg and the Belgian premiere in Bozar in Brussels in March 2012 by the ONB conducted by Stefan Blunier. A great fascination with the work of the British-Indian artist Sir Anish Kapoor provided a special form of inspiration for the composer while writing this work. In terms of form, this composition is in line with tradition on the one hand, while on the other hand the link with Eastern cultures is not far to seek. In the 1990s, Wim Henderickx composed the three-part RAGA cycle and between 2004 and 2010 he created the Tantric Cycle, seven compositions inspired by Eastern philosophy. In this work, Wim Henderickx wanted to create a dialogue between East and West and find common ground in the search for a meaning for the loaded concept of “symphony”. Musically, he wanted to go to extremes with “At the Edge of the World”, exploring contrasts: very high versus very low tones, very soft versus very loud, noise versus melody. At the same time, he asked himself questions such as: what is a symphony in the 21st century and what is a symphony orchestra in the 21st century? Parts: 1: Marsyas 2: Melancholia 3: Svayambh 4: At the Edge of the World 5: Leviathan