Nucleus is a compact core: the source of energy. Emerging from an explosion of energy spread throughout the orchestra, the composition begins to boil around the note D, continuously fluctuating and expanding without pause. Over the course of five minutes, this growing energy transforms, passing through each instrumental group and gradually evolving into a coherent whole.

Placed within a programme that connects the past with a modern reinterpretation of it, ‘Nucleus’ serves as a bridge between both worlds. The foundations of the piece stem from the composer’s own musical inspirations, while paying a clear homage to Mozart. Attentive listeners may, for example, recognise a reference to the opening of Don Giovanni. Other gestures that honour the musical past include fugue-like exchanges, quoted motives, and the use of characteristic modes. Yet most importantly, the piece seeks to capture the drive, vitality, and power of classical music.

At its core, ‘Nucleus’ is a search for tension. An ever-evolving force building toward an ultimate resolution. Yet never entirely reaching it.