The German composer, Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann started work on Homage a Nelson Mandela in 1996, following a suggestion for such a work from the cellist, Maria Kliegel. The result was a considerable work for cello and percussion in four movements. The first is sombre and reflects the years of imprisonment; the second - which is the work's equivalent to the scherzo - and is entitled, Hunting. Using be-bop-jazz, it pictures the manhunt, and all the evil that entails. The third sees Mandela's sense of good humour despite his tribulations, and with the use of drums, seeks to introduce an African element. The finale is a Lullaby, drawing on African material, and sees through Mandela an eventual peace and dawn for a new South Africa.
