Facing the Looking Glass

Facing the Looking Glass is a suite in three movements, each offering a contrasting character while maintaining a unified musical language. The first movement is structured around a rhythmic ostinato that recurs throughout, interspersed with other motifs gradually constructed by the addition of new notes — a process of organic growth that lends the music both clarity and momentum.

The second movement unfolds as a long, melodic improvisation. It is built on the interplay of two rhythmically contrasting motifs, allowing for expressive freedom and lyrical introspection.

The final movement, composed entirely in a single 7/8 meter, is virtuosic and repetitive in nature, displaying a dynamic and propulsive energy.

Throughout the suite, sudden modulations introduce subtle shifts in colour, keeping the listener continually surprised. Wide leaps across the instrument’s register give the illusion of a dialogue between multiple clarinets — a kind of musical trompe-l’oreille that enhances the dramatic and textural complexity of the solo writing.

The work is dedicated to clarinetist Ronald Van Spaendonck, who premiered it on 19 February 2017 at the Atelier Marcel Hastir in Brussels (Belgium).