Peter Swinnen is a Brussels (Belgium) based composer of Contemporary Classical music. His œuvre consists of works for Orchestra, Ensemble, Chamber Music, Music Theatre, Film, Ballet and Electronics. He is currently professor of Composition and Orchestration at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel.
André Laporte 90 ©2021 by Peter Swinnen (http://www.peterswinnen.be) Performed by Jan Michiels
©2020 by Peter Swinnen (http://www.peterswinnen.be) Performed by Eugen-Bogdan Popa Tombeau de Couperin was born out of my interest in the Harmony of Spheres. Originally presented by the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras (6th century BC), who calculated that all planets and the sun move in resonant circles around the Earth, it has been refined by Copernicus (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres 1453), Kepler (Harmonies of the World 1619) and Newton (Philosophiæ Naturalis Principe Mathematica 1687), who successively improved the calculations of the elliptical orbits of the planets around the sun. 1687 is also the publication date of Marin Marais' Tombeau de Lully, which gave rise to the basic idea of this piece: an imaginary journey, inspired by Viola da Gamba techniques, where the player's right arm movements are based on the elliptical orbits of planets around their suns, so that the notes represent the positions of the planets at different moments in time, leading us gradually through galaxies further and further away. Happy listening. Peter Swinnen
©2014 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Isasi Quartet 00:00 - A. Hashin No sky no earth - but still snowflakes fall 02:20 - B. Basho, Matsuo. (1644-1694) Clouds appear and bring to men a chance to rest from looking at the moon. 04:43 - C. Akutagawa, Ryunosuke. (1892-1927) Green frog, Is your body also freshly painted? 06:52 - D. Issa. (1762-1826) A giant firefly: that way, this way, that way, this - and it passes by. 08:40 - E. Michael R. Collings Silence - a strangled Telephone has forgotten That it should ring
©1999 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Eric Robberecht and Guy Danel Dorce is a series of 9 pieces, all using the same three parts, whereas the third part also exists in a transcription for a second Violin. In fact, you can play Dorce as a Solo piece, which gives you four different solo pieces (Dorce I for Violin Solo, Dorce II for Viola Solo, Dorce III for Violoncello Solo, Dorce IV for Violin Solo). You can also play Dorce as a Duett, which gives you four different Duetts (Dorce V for Violin and Violoncello, Dorce VI for Viola and Violoncello, Dorce VII for Violin and Viola, Dorce VIII for two Violins). And, last but not least, you can play Dorce as a classical String Trio (Dorce IX). Each of the three parts remains exactly the same for all nine versions, so that e.g. Dorce I and Dorce III played together gives you Dorce V. Just take into account the exact starting moment of the different parts ( in this specific case: the Violin should start 5 bars later than the Violoncello). Good luck Brussels, november 27, 1999 Peter Swinnen
©1999 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Gilles Millet and Eric Robberecht Dorce is a series of 9 pieces, all using the same three parts, whereas the third part also exists in a transcription for a second Violin. In fact, you can play Dorce as a Solo piece, which gives you four different solo pieces (Dorce I for Violin Solo, Dorce II for Viola Solo, Dorce III for Violoncello Solo, Dorce IV for Violin Solo). You can also play Dorce as a Duett, which gives you four different Duetts (Dorce V for Violin and Violoncello, Dorce VI for Viola and Violoncello, Dorce VII for Violin and Viola, Dorce VIII for two Violins). And, last but not least, you can play Dorce as a classical String Trio (Dorce IX). Each of the three parts remains exactly the same for all nine versions, so that e.g. Dorce I and Dorce III played together gives you Dorce V. Just take into account the exact starting moment of the different parts ( in this specific case: the Violin should start 5 bars later than the Violoncello). Good luck Brussels, november 27, 1999 Peter Swinnen
©2006 by Peter Swinnen Live performed by Champ d'Action, cond. J. Bossier Recently I discovered which fascinating musical transformations you get if you change the font bitmap of a text and run it through an image synthesizer. For this piece, a sextet for flute, violin, clarinet, cello, piano and percussion, I'm elaborating on this idea and developing some specific manipulations of musical gestures, built on the different idiomatic playing techniques of the instruments. Furthermore I'm exploring the vast sound possibilities when two or more instruments influence each others sound through means of electronic manipulations. In the past I've worked many times with the concept of 'extended instruments', where electronics multiply the expressive possibilities of an acoustic instrument, fully controlled by the instrumental player. Here I want to push it further. Sounds will be created by electronically merging several instruments, whereas each individual instrumentalist controls another parameter of the sound, not by a MIDI-controller or so, but through his very own acoustical sound, tracked in real-time by the computer. In short, a computer-based 'extended combined instrument'. Which, of course, will not only be capable of sculpting the time, but also the acoustical space. Peter Swinnen Brussels, 26-05-2006
©2004 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Marie-Claude Solanet and Quatuor Danel
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©2000 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Delphine Chauvier, Christiane Dailly, Françoise Vanhecke, Madiha Figuigui, Danel Quartet and Wim Konink
©1991 by Peter Swinnen
©1992 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Berten D'Gollander, Yves Storms, Christine Wauters and Philippe Thuriot Dit werk, geschreven, in opdracht van First Meeting (BRTN-Radio 3), voor Philippe Thuriot, is tevens bedoeld als een ode aan de grootmeester van de psychologische thriller, Alfred Hitchcock. De opbouw gebeurt namelijk volgens een voor hem erg typische structuur : na een korte inleiding volgt een gestaag vorderende vertelling ("Tail" = "verhaal"), met een verrassende ontknoping ("Tail" = "Staart"). Elk van de instrumenten vertolkt hierbij a.h.w. de psychologische en emotionele evolutie van een personage… Daarnaast is er een sterke allusie naar een Coctail. Op dezelfde manier als in een Coctail de verschillende (uitgesproken) smaken in elkaar versmelten, worden de timbres van de vier instrumenten, inclusief minder courante speeltechnieken, hier met elkaar gecombineerd tot een sprankelend, hoewel soms misschien nogal ongewoon, auditief geheel…
©1991 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Danel Quartet
©1996 by Peter Swinnen Performed by students of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, cond. B. Bouckaert Dit aforistische werkje, een hommage voor de 65e verjaardag van mijn vroegere compositie-leraar Andr Laporte, ligt helemaal in de lijn van de klassieke openings- en huldigingsfanfares. En zoals de titel reeds laat vermoeden, met de nodige knipogen
©1998 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Apsara
©1998 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Quatuor Danel Cette pièce, le titre étant dérivé de “Cocytos”, une des rivières aux enfers dans l’ancienne mythologie Grècque, raconte à travers 7 tableaux une promenade fictive lelong de cette fleuve “des Plaintes Éternelles”. Là-dedans on entend parfois une ombre qui apparaît pour raconter son histoire, et puis qui redisparaît. En plus, le mot Gogutos décrit le déroulement sonore de la composition. D’abord il y a une partie basée sur des sonorités plutôt gutturales (nottamment au violoncelle), puis une partie plus ouverte avec des harmoniques, puis une partie de nouveau assez gutturale (col legno) mais plus coulante,…etc. Plongez-vous donc dans ces couleurs étranges qui décrivent cette atmosphère lugubre des enfers mythologiques. Bonne écoute. Peter Swinnen
©1999 by Peter Swinnen Dorce is a series of 9 pieces, all using the same three parts, whereas the third part also exists in a transcription for a second Violin. In fact, you can play Dorce as a Solo piece, which gives you four different solo pieces (Dorce I for Violin Solo, Dorce II for Viola Solo, Dorce III for Violoncello Solo, Dorce IV for Violin Solo). You can also play Dorce as a Duett, which gives you four different Duetts (Dorce V for Violin and Violoncello, Dorce VI for Viola and Violoncello, Dorce VII for Violin and Viola, Dorce VIII for two Violins). And, last but not least, you can play Dorce as a classical String Trio (Dorce IX). Each of the three parts remains exactly the same for all nine versions, so that e.g. Dorce I and Dorce III played together gives you Dorce V. Just take into account the exact starting moment of the different parts ( in this specific case: the Violin should start 5 bars later than the Violoncello). Good luck Brussels, november 27, 1999 Peter Swinnen
©1996 by Peter Swinnen Aan de basis van deze compositie lag het idee van een combinatie van de begrippen "Zwanezang" en "Sirenenzang": verleidelijk, opstandig, berustend in het lot. Deze drie elementen bepalen dan ook de structuur van "Canzone". Na een lyrisch begin komt een eerder heftige passage, die echter onmiddellijk omslaat in sarcasme en weer bedaart , waarna het begin-thema langzaam maar zeker stagneert... Veel luisterplezier. Brussel 2 december 1996 Peter Swinnen
©2019 by Peter Swinnen Live performance by Ensemble Télémaque, Yifei Hua, cond. Raoul Lay “Souvenir d’un dragon de soie”, French for “Memories of a silk dragon”, is a personal reflection on several travels I was able to make into China and Vietnam, and the rich musical and philosophical cultures of many East Asian people I was able to meet during the festivals I visited. On the one hand there is the 21st Century complexity of the big cities where millions of people live together in an overwhelming flow of never-ending activity. But there is also the deep connection with nature and philosophical introspection, often in unexpected oases, carefully cherished and deeply touching. In order to express this strong duality, “Souvenir d’un dragon de soie” is built on the contrast between musical ingredients coming from both European and Asian traditions. Obviously, there is the use of a Sheng together with a traditional European contemporary music ensemble of 8 instruments. The ensemble elaborates on late 20th Century French spectral techniques, applied on a South-East Asian B’led like repetitive texture. The Sheng is used in a typical Western recitativo accompagnato like style, on which the player ornaments freely following ancient Chinese traditions. The result is a continuously shifting balance between Asian and Western textures and techniques, always blending in a dialogue of varying proportions, creating the ever-changing microtonal diversity that fascinates me since I first discovered Asian music. Happy listening! This video is about Souvenir d'un dragon de soie
©2019 by Peter Swinnen Métamorphoses, ma 5e Symphonie, est le résultat d’une recherche qui me fascine depuis plusieurs années : comment amener de la cohérence dans du matériau musical d’une hétérogénéité prononcée ? Point de départ de cette pièce est l’utilisation de quelques techniques provenant de l’intelligence artificielle : des "algorithmes génétiques" changent ("mutent") des cellules musicales de sorte qu'elles s'éloignent de plus en plus de l'original. Un processus qui peut être perturbé en introduisant un "virus". De cette manière tout le matériau, ainsi différent qu'il soit dans sa sonorité, reste fondamentalement dérivé d'un nombre limité de cellules primitives. Ce qui m'a donné la possibilité de créer du matériau musical très divergent, dont je pouvais quand-même doser le degré de cohérence. Afin de verser tout ce matériau plus ou moins hétérogène dans une forme cohérente, Métamorphoses utilise un concept très ancien du monde littéraire : des personnages archétypiques interagissent dans des histoires mythiques. Une petite ballade chez Carl Jung nous apprend que plusieurs archétypes peuvent être considérés comme des mutations abstraites d'autant d'aspects de ce qui rend l'homme humain. De même, la représentation du matériau musical comme des "personnages" est connue depuis des siècles. Ce qui a donné la forme pour cette 5e symphonie : 5 mouvements qui se fusionnent et qui racontent autant de phases dans la vie imaginaire du personnage principal. Par analogie avec Ovide, chaque mouvement est élaboré come une courte "histoire", dans laquelle les personnages secondaires sont des mutations archétypiques mutées du personnage principal. Ce qui donne une forme particulière, ou à l'intérieur des mouvements des matériaux contrastant rentrent en dialogue, pendant qu'au-delà des 5 mouvements une métamorphose progressive des différents ingrédients contrastants se dévoile. Mais cette symphonie s'écoute aussi comme une pièce en un seul mouvement qui permet à la diversité extraordinaire des instruments du Symphonic Wind Band de se profiler tant qu'en soliste que dans des combinaisons riches en couleurs : un concerto pour orchestre. Bonne écoute. Peter Swinnen
©1999 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Dominica Eyckmans, Jean Portante, Peter Swinnen Dans cette pièce, j’ai voulu entourer les textes de Jean Portante d’une musique, qui ne soit ni descriptive, ni simplement un tapis d’ambience. Au contraire, j’ai voulu y ajouter un deuxième personnage, pour créer ainsi un vrai duo, de la vraie musique de chambre, entre la parole et la musique. Pour que, comme le dit le texte lui-même, la musique, c’est à dire l’ensemble de la voix parlée, le violon et son extension électronique, puissent sculpter le temps dans l’espace…
©2008 by Peter Swinnen This piece, commissioned by the Spectra Ensemble for their participation in the Gouden Vleugels Contest 2008 in tandem with the Fenix String Quartet, is a tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven and Luciano Berio. It takes the fifth movement of Beethoven’s string quartet nº 15 op. 132 and treats it as in Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia. In other words: Beethoven (the past) tries to ‘break through’ Berio (the present). It is as if you ‘remember’ something without knowing precisely what it is: “Erinnerung”. At the same time throughout the piece this idea of the past transforms itself up to the point that it can be integrated into the present: “Er-Inner-Ung”. Very much the same way as the combination of a string quartet and ensemble reminds the idea of an 18th century Sinfonia Concertante (past), which the use of electronic transformations re-actualizes into the present. Happy Listening! Peter Swinnen
©1998 by Peter Swinnen Altough written for two soloists (mezzo soprano and accordeon) and orchestra, "le journal intime" is not a concerto, but more a "Sinfonia Concertante". This clearly comes out of the text. In fact, the subject of this text, written specially for this symphony by the Luxemburg poet Jean Portante, deals with the impossibility of "the Hand" (the mezzo) to write into "the Page" (the accordeon), because "the Brains" (the orchestra) don't like it. Hence a very special relationship between both soloists and the orchestra. The last one dominates everything. The mezzo is somewhat like a "porte parole" of the Brains: "she says what the orchestra thinks". The accordeon, at one hand is separated from all the others, but at the same time is also dependent of (and conditioned by) the orchestra. In short: "Wanting to tell something, but being unable to, because of not being allowed to". And that's exactly the reason why I felt the need to write "le journal intime" as a symphony in the good old sonata form. Besides of course the cyclic structure of the text. It ends with "another morning coming up", which made the choice for the re-exposition of a classical sonata form almost evident: "l' histoire se répète". Happy listening, Peter Swinnen
©2011 by Peter Swinnen Performed by Guy Danel and Richard Whalley (2013) Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd, Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone: . . . (ODE ON A GRECIAN URN from "POEMS" by John KEATS)
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