Simaku's 'THINKING ALOUD: THE SOLILOQUY CYCLE' published by CUP

A comprehensive article by UYMP composer Thomas Simaku, on the composition process of his cycle of nine Soliloquies for solo instruments, has been published by Cambridge University Press, in the July edition of TEMPO.  

The Abstract reads: "Beginning with Soliloquy I for solo violin in 1998, the author has been engaged in creating a series of highly virtuosic solo pieces for various instruments. Each piece presents a different character, yet all are framed by a single protagonist who narrates in different languages. This article focuses particularly on analyses of Soliloquies II, VI, VII, VIII and IX, but also offers a discussion of the genesis of and processes involved in the whole cycle, which now embraces instruments from every section of the orchestra; the most recent, Soliloquy IX, for solo trumpet, was written in 2022. The suitability of the title Soliloquy is also considered; this article in turn could itself be considered a soliloquy."

In conclusion, the composer asks the question: ‘Will I compose more Soliloquies? One should never say never, but I have a lot more to say with a lot more than one instrument. My output is now approaching 100 compositions, and, as I put it in a recent interview, ‘there is a lot of music in me. In fact, if you reshuffle the letters of my surname, you end up with Musika!’

The full article may be read here.