Takwin

for two guitars, keyboard percussion and contrabass was composed in 2016 and submitted as an entry for the Andre Jolivet competition at the conservatory of Montreuil in Paris. The title takes its meaning from the concept of the alchemical creation of life (takwin) found within medieval Islamic alchemy which expresses the metaphysical and material process of the generation of life (animal, vegetable, and mineral). The act of takwin was a simulation of the divine creative and life-giving powers of Genesis and Resurrection and tapped the physical and spiritual forces in nature. At the same time it was an act through which the alchemist was inwardly transformed and purified, a spiritual regeneration. The piece received a special price in the finals and was performed by the Ensemble Alest.