#lucalecturer Dr Piet Jozef Swerts pledges artistic composition project as capstone and musical celebration of his upcoming emeritus professorship

#LucaDocent Dr. Piet Jozef Swerts has announced a splendid artistic compositional project as a culmination and musical celebration of his forthcoming retirement during the academic year 2026-2027. Given his international reputation within the world of saxophone, the choice was made to create a concert symphonic work for saxophone quartet and symphonic orchestra. The premiere is scheduled for the spring of 2026, performed by LUCA Philharmonic under the direction of #LucaDocent Ivan Meylemans. The intention is to involve both faculty and students in the performance, fostering a rich and dynamic collaboration. From this perspective, Swerts has conceived an intriguing concept as a working title and theme:

TATTVAS — The Five Elements, for four saxophonists and symphonic orchestra.

This work comprises five movements, each with a poetic subtitle:

1. Akasha (Spirit Tattva) for saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) with orchestra
2. Vayu (Air Tattva) for four soprano saxophones with orchestra
3. Tejas (Fire Tattva) for four alto saxophones with orchestra
4. Apas (Water Tattva) for four tenor saxophones with orchestra
5. Prithvi (Earth Tattva) for saxophone quartet with orchestra

Swerts has opted to conceive all five movements for four "players", with only the outer movements retaining the traditional saxophone quartet configuration. The inner movements are designed to spotlight a single type of instrument, offering fascinating compositional possibilities. This also provides the flexibility to have all movements performed by the same quartet members or even to feature different quartets for each movement. This could be particularly valuable for educational projects involving the entire saxophone department.

The work is expected to last a minimum of 30 minutes, with the possibility of extending to 45 minutes or even half a concert programme. Piet Swerts is very much looking forward to this project, as his oeuvre for saxophone—comprising more than ten works to date—has yet to include a concert work. Interest has already been piqued among international quartets, and a future presentation at a world congress is certainly a possibility, either through LUCA or involving international musicians and/or orchestras.