About ‘Corona’ for tenorsax (premiere with Arthur Heuwekemeijer from Archie’s Ship):
Awaking. Sometimes it happens, after a night of beautiful dreams, that you wake up in the morning and think: what was it again? Oh yeah. This has happened to me several times since Covid. That I had forgotten about it, when I woke up. That is what “Awaking” is about. Do you ever wake up in the morning when you go to sleep and hope that everything is back to normal?
Washing the dishes. Because you are much more at home, all kinds of small things and situations are suddenly scrutinized. The mess around you, your roommates. Sometimes a simple act like washing the dishes helps you feel better. Focusing your attention on something very practical, something you have control over. The dishes.
Walking through an empty city. Especially during the first period, Amsterdam was a very empty city. Even the Red Light District was deserted! It was both nice and spooky. Most of all, it felt quite surreal.
Sleeping. In this part it seems like you are floating through an endless space. The piano part is, as it were, frozen in a few chords. Things are “on hold”. We stay in our houses and sleep. But a lot is happening in the meantime.