Stijn Roels: The Essence of Youth

Stijn Roels: The Essence of Youth (Harmonie)

The Essence of Youth was commissioned by the Dutch Institute Kunstfactor. In 2012, it is the compulsory work in the second division for the Open Dutch Fanfare Championships in Drachten. The work reflects the characteristics that, according to the composer, are inherent to youth. His daughter was a source of inspiration.

The composition begins with a spectacular opening full of fresh rhythms, dynamic contrasts, metre changes, and contrasting sound groups. All of this symbolises the endless, swirling energy with which young children fill their days. The introduction also contains most of the thematic material for the work as a whole, including a chorale – an interpretation of the reassuring, guiding hand of parents – and a wonderful whole-tone motif (measure 36), the musical depiction of the sometimes incomprehensible side of children.
The first section builds on the élan of the introduction described above, with a first full introduction of a theme in the flugelhorns, which is also heard later in the bass register. Subsequently, the chorale reappears in the soft brass, contrasting with non-chord tones in the saxophone group, symbolising the tensions between parent and child. After the reintroduction of the whole-tone motif, this section concludes powerfully, leading through several solos into the expressive second section. In this section, the love and care of parents for their child are celebrated with fitting melodies. The final section begins with a fugue based on the first theme, leading to the climax of the work, where the chorale resonates once again, this time majestically, and is surrounded by a rhythmic counter-melody: the parents are proud of their lively child.

Publisher: Publisher Number: DHP 1115065-010 - ISBN:

Merk	De Haske Publications
Serie	Concert and Contest Collection Brass Band and Fanfare
Instrument	Harmony
Barcode (EAN)	DHP-1115065-010_1.mp3