Touching the Quick (2026)

These four pieces for unaccompanied French Horn were written in response to four particular sculptures at the exhibition of Anish Kapoor’s work at the Hayward Gallery, London in 2026.

Talking about the works and the whole show with Anish and seeing them has made me aware of how alive, how quick the sculptures are, and of the many different kinds of movement they contain. The music does not try to represent or describe the sculptures in sound, for that would be tantamount to writing a kind of film music. Rather, I have tried to suggest as much as possible of the movement I see in them and to find equivalent musical shape and form.

The four pieces are titled after the sculptures:

• Mount Moriah at the Gate of the Ghetto (ca. 3’45”)
• Burple to Red (ca. 2’40”)
• Descent into Limbo (ca. 6’05”)
• Ritual Expiation (ca. 4’05”)

They may be performed individually or in a selection. If all four are performed, they may be performed in any order.

This work is dedicated to Anish Kapoor. 

Brian Elias
April 2026