Ricercar for solo violin and orchestra (2004)

A meditative but anxious beginning leads into a nervous middle section followed by a developped cadence for the violinist: actually a complex 3 part fugue based on the main theme. The conclusion of the work culminates on a climax which afterwards calms down and ends in an ambiguous and crepuscular atmosphere. Duration ca. 11'

Most motives of the piece are exposed in the solo violin introduction (bars 2 - 16):

- Bars 2 - 3: the two notes E and F (dissonant interval of second, seventh or ninth).

- Bar 4: ornamentation motive on E and F.

- Bars 5 - 8: first main theme of the work [1].

- Bars 8 - 10: 'transition' motive.

- Bars 11 - 13: second main theme [2].

- Bars 14 - 15: ascending fourth motive.

- Bars 16 - 17: sort of B-A-C-H motive, but actually a quote of Ralph Vaughan Williams' 4^th symphony:

- Bars 21 - 22: seventh and ninth motive on E and F.

- Letter B, bar 25, secondary choral-like theme (strings and muted horns). This will be heard later at climax of the work (Letter O, bar 225).

Progression:

- Letter C: bar 31, theme [2].

- Letter D: bar 35, theme [2].

- Bar 37, Vaughan Williams' theme (violin).

Central part:

- Letter G: after a long progression based on already known figures, comes the central part of the piece (animato 12/8) build on a new syncopated motive.

- Bars 64 - 66: ascending fourth motive.

- Bar 71: a new secondary motive played by the horn.

- Bar 72: the solo violin answer.

- Bar 76: 'transition' motive (oboes, solo violin).

- Bars 77 - 81: the fourth (rhythmically augmented) + bars 79 - 80, Vaughan Williams' "B-A-C-H" theme.

- Letter H, bar 82: tempo moderato based on the syncopated motive.

- Letter I, bar 89: tempo animato, a nervous and short fugato (woodwinds) based on ascending and descending fourth intervals already heard a short time before (bar 79, solo violin).

- Bar 95: beginning of a long progression based on Vaughan Williams' theme rhythmically diminished.

- Bar 99: solo violin, theme [1] (trill).

- Bar 100: solo violin (pizz.) secondary animato motif

- Bars 101 - 102: solo violin, syncopated motive.

- Bars 104 - 105: solo violin, ascending fourth motive.

- Bars 106 - 107: solo violin + piccolo theme [1] (trill).

- Bars 113 - 119: rhythmical climax! (saturation)

- Letter K, bar 120: presto subito, acceleration based on fourth ascending intervals and syncopated motives. Brutal and bawling B flat major chord!

Cadenza (solo violin):

- Letter L, bar 137: long and developing fugue mainly based on theme [1].

- Letter N, bar 217: culmination.

- Bars 217 - 224: orchestral transition based on the second theme [2].

- Bars 225 - 230: 'choral-like' theme, climax (bar 230).

Crepuscular epilogue:

- Bars 232 - 237: tranquillo, theme [1].

- Letter Q, bar 238: adagio. Long and descending melody on theme [1] (strings: fff -> ppp).

- Letter R, bar 243: lento. reminiscence of the beginning (bars 14 - 16).

- Bars 245 - 246: pizzicati played by celli and double basses on the notes E and F (dissonant second).

- Bar 247: 'transition' theme.

- Letter S, bar 248: last ascension (fourth intervals, strings).

- Bars 251 - 252: the solo violin plays the theme [1] in augmentation.