The Night Watch by Boccherini

Programme notes

Casteels's transcreation of Luigi Boccherini's March from his Quintet, Op. 30, No. 6, served as his farewell gift after years as Music Director of GENUS. For the 2022–2023 season, he conceived the idea of transcribing Boccherini's Ritirata notturna di Madrid for the Niibori guitar orchestra. Having far less timbral variety than Berio (who also famously adapted the work), Casteels leveraged the reversible counterpoint of Boccherini's original to expand its 11 variations into 23. He transposed the original C Major to the guitar-friendly E Major, incorporating a sudden shift to F Major. The percussive climax is performed entirely using the Niibori Rhythm Method (NRM), featuring a prominent solo trumpet. To ensure the composition is played strictly in one tempo, Casteels had a snare drum placed at the forefront of the stage to effectively replace a conductor. The playful piece concludes with a humoristic vocal twist.

Handwritten sketches and drafts

to be found in chapter XXXVII of the white cover, A3 size, 600 pages sketchbook