Tentet
Ten performers including a voice (tenor or soprano): - conductor doubling on a pair of finger cymbals - singing and speaking tenor voice doubling on a pair of finger cymbals - Bb clarinet doubling on sither (diatonic with additional c# and Bb ) and suling - venu doubling on bansuri, Hindustani khartal or Carnatic kanjira - alto suona doubling on alto guan, 板 and a pair of finger cymbals - Bb euphonium doubling on a claves and a pair of finger cymbals - chromatic accordion doubling on a A singing bowl - 1 percussionist on snare drum, bass drum, suspended cymbal, triangle, marimba and vibraphone - pi pa doubling on a C singing bowl - violin doubling on a Bb handbell - violoncello doubling on a Db handbell
Programme notes
A tentet is a musical ensemble consisting of ten musicians or singers. Casteels's Tentet is a piece for nine musicians and one voice commissioned by the Nanyang Collective. The brief for the composition was that it should spotlight gender groups’ relationships with love and compassion. The composition comprises five Parts. Suona, euphonium and voice introduce each part. Two compositional techniques are employed: chromaticism and whole-tone mode. The tension from dissonance in chromaticism in part one seeks to illustrate the dynamics between contemporary gender groups. Gentle whole-tone scale is used for the rest of the parts. A peaceful waltz in part 2 references special needs. The narration by the voice in part 3 is an extract of a short story, The Architects, from This Side of Heaven (2020) by Singaporean poet Cyril Wong. The narration is the section of the short story about human relationships. In part 4 a tender melody expresses compassion and empathy. The final part 5 comprises pre-recorded Artificial-Intelligence-spoken words accompanied by the melody. The words come from religious texts. The piece ends with an invitation to embrace love and compassion.
Handwritten sketches and drafts
to be found under the title Nanyang Collective Love Dixtuor in chapter XLI of the white cover, A3 size, 600 pages sketchbook
Completion of the composition
25-VI-2024
Recording
link is the video of the premiere
Superimposed Venus and Mars symbols, design created by R. Casteels [2024]
Duration:
22'
Composed In:
2024
Dedicated to:
Parts:
For score and parts, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>
First performance:
05.09.24 Recital Hall, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
First performed by:
The Nanyang Collective conducted by Wong De Li Dedric with Reuben Lai (voice)
Commissioned by:
Nanyang Collective
979-0-9025001-2-8 (full score) and 979-0-9025001-3-5 (parts)
Download Link: