moug 
for bass clarinet, cello and piano

written for and premiered by Trio Catch
commissioned by Gaudeamus Award 2024

live recording on Sept. 6. 2024, at the Gaudeamus Festival

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programm notes:

The title is derived from the ancient Chinese pronunciation for "dream" ("mong“), with one of the letters reversed. The structure of the work mirrors the nature of a dream, built on a series of oppositions. Each fragment of the dream is shaped by the briefest possible motif, similar to Lévi-Strauss's approach to analyzing myths. The labyrinths, conflicts, and fantastical moments in which the dreamer is immersed twist and turn through waves of subconscious and conscious sensations.

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Photo © Rogier Boogaard

moug (2024) Trio Catch

'Indris' is a work for string trio which draws inspiration from the haunting call of the Indri lemur – a species of primate endemic to the eastern forests of Madagascar. Some local people believe the Indri to be a descendant of their close relatives and white settlers imagined the lemurs to be spirits; ‘lemures’ literally means ‘ghosts’ in Latin. Indeed, the extraordinary call does seem to be almost human-like in its emotional depth. Taking the call as a starting point, I fleshed out a sonata-form modelled on the sonatas of Mozart, with the call appearing at each of the important structural moments. I then inserted a chorale, itself derived from the Indri’s call, around and through the sonata form, mirroring its trajectory. The resulting work follows these different strands as they synthesise and separate fluidly, culminating in a searing climax. (the composer, 2021)
June 2025: I revisited 'Indris' for a concert in Hong Kong with the wonderful Momenta Quartet. I extended the chorale passages considerably, so that they break into polyphony and form a gentle, emotional climax of their own. 


Indris (revised 2025) Momenta Quartet

I'm a composer. I love the natural world and composing music about it.

Indris (revised 2025) Momenta Quartet

Dominic Wills

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