Per André L. 80

Composed in
2011

Instrumentation
Solo Violoncello

Duration
ca. 3′

First performance
July 24, 2011. Wavre (B), La Table des Templiers, by Seraphine STRAGIER, violoncello

Dedicated to
André Laporte

Publisher
Donemus

Luc on Per André L :

This short composition was the first I composed after months of severe illness. It was written for solo violoncello, and intended as a surprise for the 80th Birthday of my former teacher and friend André Laporte.

The first performance was given by cellist Seraphine Stragier on July 24, 2011 during a dinner party on that occasion.

The piece is based on harmonics (flageolet tones) and multiphonics, with extremely subtle sounds, delicate and (sometimes) pretty hard to produce correctly. There are maybe 4 or 5 ‘normal’ notes in the work. As a tribute to André I wrote a slightly arranged quotation -with flageolets, of course- of the main theme of his opera Das Schloss (The Castle, after Kafka), which he composed in the early 80’s for the Brussels National Opera La Monnaie/De Munt.