• Symphonic poem for large wind orchestra, electro-acoustically processed sounds and video.

   

  Instrumentation:

  Piccolo flute 1 and 2, flute 1, 2, 3 and 4, flute 5 doubling with alto flute

  Oboe 1 and 2, English horn

  Piccolo clarinet, clarinet 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, bass clarinet 1, bass clarinet 2 doubling with contrabass clarinet

  Bassoon 1 and 2, contrabassoon

   

  Soprano, alto 1 and 2, tenor 1 and 2, baritone saxophones

   

  Horn 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

  Trumpet 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

  Tenor trombones 1, 2, 3 and 4, bass trombone

  Euphonium 1 and 2

  Tuba 1 and 2

   

  Timpani, percussion 1 on tenor drum, bass drum, triangle, suspended cymbal and tam-tam, percussion 2 on vibraphone, percussion 3 on xylophone, percussion 4 on marimba

   

  Piano

  Harp

  String bass

   

  Review

  its Wagneria scope was a breathtaking one, a massive canvas of sound... Its gravitation to the key of G major provided the work's pivot, which suggests that there is hope for humanity after all.

  Chang Tou Liang

• Duration: 19'
• In 1 movement
• Composed in 2015
• Commissioned by The Philharmonic Winds for the concert Singapore Compose! SG50
• First performance: 24.10.15 The Philharmonic Winds conducted by L Tan the Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore)
• ISMN 979-0-9016525-8-3
• Parts: To rent the parts, please email <rc@robertcasteels.com>
• Downloadable scores for inspection:
  Hanging_Garden_Full_Score_.pdf

I would have liked to title this piece suspended gardens, because in the French language, gardens do not hang but instead, are suspended. When I learned about the gardens of Babylon in primary school, my imagination was fired by the vision of guys with cool names like Neglathphalasar or Nabuchodonosor, strolling in immense gardens which four corners hung from cables descending from huge vertical poles, resulting in the whole gardens gently swayed in suspension. The music composition premiered tonight is simple: one melodic idea and one chord that branch out like rhizomes beyond the limitations of acoustical instruments thanks to the electronic sounds. The musical composition was completed before the creation of the videos. Yet, my piece is not about describing one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, nor nature, canopies or green fingers. Colliding in my mind were the beauty of prime numbers that some mathematicians call natural numbers, Dali-esque structures floating in midair, metastatic growth, the freedom of physical weightlessness in a zero gravity-force environment and the power of mental arborescence. Hanging Gardens was premiered in the concert hall of the Esplanade on 25-10-2015 by the Philharmonic Winds conducted by Leonard Tan with sound processing by Dirk Stromberg and video by Andrew Thomas.