Stijn Roels

For the Beauty of Life

In 2023, Tim De Maeseneer asked composer Stijn Roels to write a solo work for tenor horn and piano, as a special piece for his second solo CD; a lyrical composition in which Tim, as a professional tenor horn player, could excel especially in terms of musicality, empathy, and fragility. Stijn gladly accepted the commission, choosing as his starting point, and source of inspiration, the most universal theme imaginable: ‘life’. On a day-to-day basis, we humans often do not think of life as an exceptional thing; it is rather experienced as just normal. Yet, as far as we are aware, life as we know it is unique in our infinite universe. In all its facets it is beautiful and extraordinary – and worth caring for. Thus, this work may be considered a musical ode to this brilliant phenomenon, but at the same time a reflection on its mystery and profound beauty.