Terwijl Ik volop zomer ben (opus 8 nr 1)

Programme notes

The composition was completed on 1-X-1983, during a period of solitary reflection. The work was written while the composer was staying alone in the vast, empty home of his recently deceased maternal grandmother. This setting and emotional context contrast sharply with the title's suggestion of summer plenitude.

During this period, the composer was highly active in the Brussels music scene:

• Studies: He briefly studied composition with Jacqueline Fontyn, orchestral conducting with Ronald Zollman, and analysis and orchestration with Marcel Quinet.

• Early Influence: A significant artistic discovery occurred in December 1981, when he attended all rehearsals of Alban Berg's Wozzeck at the Brussels opera house, La Monnaie, developing a particular interest in Berg's dense counterpoint.

• Professional Work: He was simultaneously working as a piano accompanist for the Nausikäa choir and at various music institutions. Dirk Descheemaeker is a friend and fellow student at the Muziekconservatorium Brussel. Descheemaeker became a highly regarded Belgian musician, primarily specializing in contemporary and avant-garde music as a clarinetist and bass clarinetist. Ann Missorten is the daughter of the Baeken family, who were family friends in the composer's city of birth, Tienen.

Completion of composition 

1-X-1982