scored for flute, clarinet, violin and cello 

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duration 15 minutes 

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From the Cosmic Catalogue is a work consisting of various miniatures—pages, so to speak, from an infinite catalogue. This imaginary catalogue attempts the impossible: to describe the unnamable facets of the universe.

 

The universe breathes, it undeniably swells outward, yet at the same time, gravity pulls matter inward, causing gas clouds, stars, or even entire galaxies to contract. That is the subject of Expansive Contractions. We live in a universe of which we understand only a part. There are so many questions—about the relationship between time, matter, energy, and human consciousness—that remain unanswered or may forever remain an Enigma.

 

Since filmmakers like Kubrick and Tarkovsky invented the genre of existential sci-fi, the universe has, for me, been steeped in loneliness. As if the complexity of our own minds mirrors the vastness of the cosmos that surrounds us. That is the theme of Lamenting Labyrinths.

 

The universe was born from a powerful accumulation of released energy. Supernovae, too, explode at the end of their existence. These extreme events, set against the backdrop of immense emptiness, are the subject of Explosion… (void).

 

Time is a relative concept—we know that the linearity of time is tied to human experience, and yet all of us have, at some point, felt its relativity firsthand. In the final part, Time in Contemplation, time comes to a standstill.

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I Expansive Contractions

 

II Enigma

 

III Lamenting Labyrinths

 

IV Explosion… (void)

 

V Time in Contemplation

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'Quartet' was commissioned by 'Here What Now'. The first performance was on April 25, 2017 at Miry Concerthall, Gent (Belgium). Dedicated to deCompagnie. 

​'From the Cosmic Catalogue' is the revised version and was created by Zvedoliki Ensemble in November 21, 2025 at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. 

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