Viola player Peter van Praagh received the piece as a gift from the composer to play during services. After all, Blue Encounter offers a deeply religious experience. Martin Hoondert, a university lecturer in music and religion in Tilburg, said of this piece: ‘It feels as if I am walking around in a cathedral of music and marveling at the mystery.’
It deals with two opposing forces: massive and ruthless versus round, connecting, melodic, and fragile. The two forces eventually come together. Composer Joep Franssens calls these forces masculine and feminine, and he calls the result love.
