‘Drawing inspiration from John Dowland’s iconic composition Lachrymae, Vrolijk has created a remarkable work that combines the melancholic atmosphere of the Renaissance song with the precise lines of her compatriot, organist Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. All of this has been translated into a modern, captivating musical language. The piece’s meditative yet powerful character was performed with such intensity by four talented saxophonists [of the Amstel Quartet (RV)] that the audience listened in rapt silence.’
for musicians and concert programmers
Flow, my tears
In Lachrymae, Renske Vrolijk fuses the melancholia of the English Renaissance with the precision of the Dutch Golden Age. The work takes John Dowland’s iconic song Flow, my tears (or Lachrymae) as its emotional core.
The Counterpoint
Vrolijk places Dowland’s lyricism against the structural rigour of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. The result is a dialogue between two historical pillars. The saxophone quartet moves from the specific sorrow of the 16th century into a modern, abstract language of resignation. It acts as a contemporary echo of the weeping lute, translated for four winds.
For performers
Year:
2010
Duration:
8′
Instruments:
ssax, asax,
tsax, barsax
Premiere:
21 July 2010
Grote of
Sint-Bavo kerk
Haarlem
Amstel Quartet
Commission:
Category:
2-5 musicians
Language:
—
Lyricist:
—
Are you interested in performing this work? Please contact my publisher.
Renske’s sheet music
is published by Deuss Music.
Listen to Lachrymae
performed by the Amstel Quartet
Also for saxophone quartet: Drift