related works
Invocation [ΕΠΙΚΛΗΣΗ] : for mezzo-soprano and orchestra / Nestor Taylor; on lyrics by Yannis Ritsos
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Voice and orchestra
Scoring:
sopr-m 2fl 2ob eh 2cl 2fg tpt 2h trb-b timp 4perc pf hp str
Sonata Nº 5 : for piano / Svyatoslav Lunyov
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Piano
Scoring:
pf
Images de Noël : pour piano, 1982 / Henk Badings
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Piano
Scoring:
pf
Azzurro : for piano / Paul Termos
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Piano
Scoring:
pf
composition
Huis – Clos : for piano / Nestor Taylor
Other authors:
Taylor, Nestor
(Composer)
Description:
HUIS – CLOS / CLOSED DOORS
"And if other people's opinion of you is negative, in a world where everyone else means everything to you - then my friend, welcome to hell."
These nine pianistic monographs were written in different time periods, but they are linked stylistically through a dark, if not claustrophobic atmosphere. The music is like a theatrical landscape where the focus is not necessarily on the plot, but on the psychological state of the protagonists, who, we gradually realize, are ourselves.
In this sense, the choice of the title ‘Huis-Clos’ is not accidental: inspired by Sartre's book, this piano cycle explores the concept of alienation, alienation from ourselves, the labyrinth of dark mirrors and mirages into which we anxiously bend to find our true image.
However, ultimately, the personal path to salvation, in the end, does not pass through the judgment of others, but it is found in the light that we ourselves have to offer; not in a transcendental, but rather a simply human way, free from rules and social conventions. Therefore, it is not moral concepts and thoughts that matter, but our actions in the here and now - what we choose as an absolute necessity during this short life.
Nestor Taylor