Mysterium

MYSTERIUM for ten wind instruments was composed in 1989 on commission from the Nieuw Belgisch Kamerorkest (New Belgian Chamber Orchestra) and was awarded the Composition Prize for Contemporary Music, Flanders-Quebec (Canada) in 1993. The work consists of three parts: Creation, Earth and Eternity, and is inspired by the following texts: 'The eye cannot see it, nor can speech or thought reach it. We do not know, we do not understand'. (From the Upanishads) 'The moment you talk about it, you are already wrong'. (Zen text) The first part, Creation, consists of seven sections representing the seven days of the creation story. The second part, Earth, is a representation of the “Dance of Shiva” and consists of five sections with an obsessive rhythm. The third part, Eternity, has a very free structure, culminating in Bach's chorale “Von Himmel hoch, da komm ich her”.