Succubi

According to a medieval Jewish-Christian folk belief, there were female demons, called "succubi", who fed on the energy and/or male hormones of their victims, often resulting in death.

In 2007, composer Matthias van Nispen tot Pannerden was commissioned by saxophonist/conductor Jean Pennings to write a piece for twelve saxophones. From Bass to Sopranino. In this piece the composer wanted to emphasize both the lyricism and the brute force, both present in the saxophone. He also saw this aspect in the "Succubi". The lyrical seduction versus the aggression. In 2012, he rewrote the piece for wind band.

The piece consists of three through-composed parts and contains two important elements. The main theme, a line on which the entire piece is based, which keeps recurring in a constantly changing environment. And the number 7, an elusive and mystical number. Clearly audible in a regularly recurring 7/8 motive, but increasingly elusive towards the end, as the complexity of the number becomes more and more apparent.