Quatrain [parts]

Quatrain was composed in 1987 and completely revised by the composer in 2024. As his style had evolved, he felt the need to rewrite the work while using the original material in a way that suited his current language.

The first movement is essentially based on contrapuntal writing inspired by the fugue, but in a very free manner. The second movement is rhythmic and obsessive, alternating between various contrasting episodes. The third movement is a very expressive lamentation evoking the memory of the two dedicatees, Willy Delzenne and Michel Debroeyer, two musicians who played an enormous role in the composer’s life. The fourth movement has a more luminous character, but this is sometimes illusory as it is punctuated by darker passages.

Quatrain was awarded the Irène Fuérison Prize by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels.