Commissioned by the Düsseldorf Symphoniker, Germany, 2024.

 

Spinphony is based on the experience of the bicycle, which has always been a part of my life.

 

In childhood, it was the vehicle that connected me with other kids on the block, in youth, I rode for exercise, going on long rides in the mountains or around the Netherlands. Recently, I taught my daughter to ride, to ride back and forth with her to school.

 

Tempo changes are made using metric modulations, which are calculated using the relationship between one given tempo and the next, similar to the gear changes that gear bikes use. These metric modulations represent the changes required to negotiate climbs, descents and flats, which require slow, fast and sustained pedaling cadences. In the percussion section there are familiar bicycle sounds, such as horns, bells and bells, as well as the friction of rotating pellets inside balloons, which emulate the sound of tires rolling on pavement. The character of the music represents the contrast between the fatigue in the legs on the climbs, with the thrill of the descents at full speed - pains and pleasures of mountain biking.