Lysight, Michel

Transitions [parts]

for piccolo or flute, saxophone or clarinet and piano

Transitions (2019) was composed at the request of Nele Tiebout (saxophonist) and Peter Verhoyen (flutist) for inclusion on a CD recording. The use of the piccolo did not come about by chance. Peter Verhoyen is a virtuoso of this instrument and has for many years been composing numerous chamber music pieces to explore its possibilities and expand its repertoire. In combination with the saxophone and the piano, he has been able to create astonishing new instrumental colours.

The composer has also made this work accessible for more “classical” formations by creating a flute version of the piccolo part and a clarinet version of the saxophone part.

The second movement uses a tenor saxophone or bass clarinet, while the first and third movements use a soprano saxophone or B-flat clarinet. The first movement uses a very pointillistic and virtuoso rhythmic writing, each instrument progressively building patterns which, when combined, generate more complex patterns. The second movement is more dramatic and melodic in character, while the third has a more luminous atmosphere with its dance-like motifs.