Nieuw Ensemble (2009) fl, ob, cl, perc, pno, hp, mand, gui, vln, vla, vc, db.

Inspired by a long-term interest in portraiture in the visual arts and, more recently, the work of David Hockney – in particular his self portraits - this collection of four short pieces reflects the paradoxes of expressing the ‘self’ in any art form. The self that is expressed is a product not only of the intentions of the artist, but also of contingent elements such as time, place and context. The music, then, explores the tension between the composer’s vision of self and its realisation.

Premiere: Musiekgebouw aan’t IJ , Amsterdam 19.11.09 (Nieuw Ensemble): broadcast live on Dutch National Radio
Second performance: Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 23.11.09 (Nieuw Ensemble)