Creatures they observed at the River (2019)

The five pieces in this collection can be presented in any combination and in any order. The fourth movement has a longer and a shorter version.

In the title, the word ‘they’ refers to me and two of my brothers, and the river is the ‘Mooirivier’ in Potchefstroom, South Africa. While growing up we often played there, exploring all the fascinating experiences offered by a rich ecosystem in a beautiful environment. Unfortunately, the river is now degraded by pollution and by humans invading and colonising the weakening ecosystem. This composition is a monument to the rich fauna that used to exist there, and also a eulogy to a kind of childhood that fewer and fewer people have the possibility to experience. When we were young, the river was healthy and our hours there were exuberant. Later in my life, my experiences there were reflective, and always tinged with sadness. The river is dying because of human action and inaction, and the creatures I so loved to observe and learn from have almost all vanished by now.

1. while swinging from branches (c. 3’00”)
2. while walking on wobbly stones (c. 1’20”)
3. while swimming (c. 4’00”)
4. when diving into the water (c. 3’00” or c. 5’10”)
5. while drifting with the sun (c. 4’00”)

Total duration: c. 15’30” or 17’30” depending on which version of the fourth movement is performed