Commissioned by: Orkest de Ereprijs and the Dutch Golden Collection Foundation, with financial support from the Netherlands Fund for the Performing Arts
First Performance: November 5 2022, November Music Festival, s’Hertogenbosch
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, clarinet, 2 saxophones, horn, trumpet, 2 trombones, tuba, el guit, bass guit, piano, ens. perc, solo percussion and sine pulses.
Duration: 23’
Special Features: piano, el guit, ensemble perc, solo percussion & conductor require click tracks.

Score samples

Info/Program note:
With a specific focus on microtonal pulse-modulation Chaser is the fourth in a series of works that take sine-pulse phasing as its basis. The work is written in two parts, which take a look at two different solutions to rapid continuity over constantly evolving backgrounds. One part (featuring the soloist on glockenspiel plus various auxiliary metal instruments) focusses on oscillation and takes its cue from a small repertoire of mallet works featuring rapid motion in either tremoli or quickly changing chromatic figures. Set in tempo 60 the section moves up a minor tenth in 14 isochronic (equal duration) sections while the ensemble gradually expands its range downwards. Followed by a harmonic transformation, the second half (now featuring the soloist on marimba and bass drum) takes the same principles as the first but transforms these to ascending heptatonic scales, gradually moving down over a chromatic octave and depleting the full collection of possible scales by the end. The work plays a small game with tempo juxtapositions, initially starting in tempo 60, then adding tempo 61 over the top while the ensemble drops to tempo 58. Though executed differently, both parts pursue an identical form with the speed suddenly doubling at the halfway mark of each new chromatic step. The title was derived from the incessant pursuit of the soloist to catch up with the microtonal pulse-modulations while the ensemble follows suit: preempting, following or consolidating but likewise chasing the chaser.