Dutch Composers

[hautbois]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Andriessen

!!!!!!!!

Howard

[Harry]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Andriessen

!!!!!!!!

Howard

Andriessen I always thought difficult to approach. Most of his compositions do not appeal to me.

[Greta]

I absolutely love Andriessen's work!

I caught some of "De Staat" once on the radio and had to immediately come home and look it up. Lo and behold, the original recording seems to be long OOP (Reinbert De Leeuw/Schoenberg Ensemble), but, I found it on iTunes, w/ De Leeuw and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and really, really enjoy that recording.   Not least because it also has Tabula Rasa, and Andriessen's wild "Racconto dall'Inferno", sung engagingly by Cristina Zavalloni.

Andiressen writes very interesting, intelligent music, akin to the minimalism of Reich, Riley, Adams. There are other composers I feel he is related to as well, but can't quite put my finger on it. He uses synths, voices, and sometimes electric guitar for color, and there is a distinctive space in his writing and a significant (but tasteful) brass presence that I notice. Sorry, I don't know how to best describe, but his writing is very unique.

Apparently he has been a significant influence to other Dutch contemporary composers as well, I realized that some things I heard in "De Staat" have also shown up in the work of Johan De Meij, another Dutch composer I love. The beginning of De Staat is similar to the ending of the 2nd mvmt of De Meij's 1st Symphony, and the middle (around 18 min) in De Staat is nearly identical to the latter part of the 2nd mvmt of De Meij's 3rd Symphony.

I would like to hear more Andriessen, and another Dutch composer I want to hear more of is Henk Badings, I really like his piece "The Arrival".

[Harry]

I absolutely love Andriessen's work!

I caught some of "De Staat" once on the radio and had to immediately come home and look it up. Lo and behold, the original recording seems to be long OOP (Reinbert De Leeuw/Schoenberg Ensemble), but, I found it on iTunes, w/ De Leeuw and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and really, really enjoy that recording.   Not least because it also has Tabula Rasa, and Andriessen's wild "Racconto dall'Inferno", sung engagingly by Cristina Zavalloni.

Andiressen writes very interesting, intelligent music, akin to the minimalism of Reich, Riley, Adams. There are other composers I feel he is related to as well, but can't quite put my finger on it. He uses synths, voices, and sometimes electric guitar for color, and there is a distinctive space in his writing and a significant (but tasteful) brass presence that I notice. Sorry, I don't know how to best describe, but his writing is very unique.

Apparently he has been a significant influence to other Dutch contemporary composers as well, I realized that some things I heard in "De Staat" have also shown up in the work of Johan De Meij, another Dutch composer I love. The beginning of De Staat is similar to the ending of the 2nd mvmt of De Meij's 1st Symphony, and the middle (around 18 min) in De Staat is nearly identical to the latter part of the 2nd mvmt of De Meij's 3rd Symphony.

I would like to hear more Andriessen, and another Dutch composer I want to hear more of is Henk Badings, I really like his piece "The Arrival".

What I like about you is your intrinsic knowledge of composers and their compositions. And the hunger you have for them. Still the modernism of Andriessen is too much for my nerves, but you are still young and beautiful, and can cope I guess.
I bought the CPO disc of Badings Orchestral works, not too long ago released, and his music is better for me to approach, and after some hearings begin to like what he wrote.
So there you are.

[The new erato]

Being beautiful helps? No wonder a lot of us struggles with this modern stuff.

[Harry]

Being beautiful helps? No wonder a lot of us struggles with this modern stuff.

But it is nicely put right?
You put the cream on top, I think!

[pjme]

I know only a few works by Rudolf Escher ( 1912-1980) . "Hymne du Grand Meaulnes" (1950-51) may well be his orchestral magnum opus : eric Vloermans calls it a " a song of controled extasy" ( in The essential guide to Dutch Music. 100 composers and their work. Amsterdam University Press/ Muziekgroep Nederland).
Le Grand Meaulnes is a famous novel by Alain Fournier - it's still quite popular . From Wikipedia :

Le Grand Meaulnes is the only novel by French author Alain-Fournier. Fifteen year old François Seurel narrates the story of his relationship with seventeen year old Augustin Meaulnes as Meaulnes searches for his lost love, Yvonne de Galais. Impulsive, reckless and heroic, Meaulnes embodies the romantic ideal, the search for the unobtainable, and the mysterious world between childhood and adulthood. It is considered one of the great works of French literature.

Escher's work manages to embody this world of longing in a great stream of endless melodies ....It is also an hommage to the Sologne region, where the novel is set.
Alas, no commercial recording is available ,I'm afraid. It was briefly available on a Teleac disc (Rotterdam PO / Hans Vonk) - as part of a TV series + book on Dutch music.

Much music remains to be discovered : Jan Ingenhoven ( "who had a fundamental disdain of accepted rules"!),Leon Orthel, Daniel Ruyneman,Henriette Bosmans, Marius Flothuis,Sem Dresden...all belong to the late 19th-early 20th century; Ton De Leeuw, Tristan Keuris, Joep Straesser, Paul Termos, Theo Loevendie, Jan Van Vlijmen....

[Dundonnell]

I am delighted that this thread seems to have taken on a new lease of life!

In the period since I started the thread I have had the opportunity to buy the CPO CD containing the three symphonies of Henk Badings
(Nos. 2, 7 and 12), the three cello concerti by Julius Rontgen and also Rontgen's "Aus Goethe's Faust". I was impressed by the Badings-his reputation as a substantial and serious composer, now finally receiving the attention he deserves in his native country after years of neglect(for political rather than musical reasons, it appears), is certainly justified. I look forward to the further issues in CPO's ongoing series(what an amazingly prolific company CPO is and how seriously it takes its self-assumed responsibility to give us complete cycles of the music of forgotten composers!).

The two Rontgen CDs have made much more of an impact on me than the 3rd symphony(issued about a year ago now). One could not claim that Rontgen was a progressive or advanced composer(at least from the evidence available to me) but his music is extremely engaging and tuneful in an old-fashioned sort of way. His great friendship with Grieg certainly hugely influenced his music.

Having earlier been a bit dismissive of Dopper I had best go back and give him another go!

[The new erato]

I am delighted that this thread seems to have taken on a new lease of life!

In the period since I started the thread I have had the opportunity to buy the CPO CD containing the three symphonies of Henk Badings
(Nos. 2, 7 and 12), the three cello concerti by Julius Rontgen and also Rontgen's "Aus Goethe's Faust". I was impressed by the Badings-his reputation as a substantial and serious composer, now finally receiving the attention he deserves in his native country after years of neglect(for political rather than musical reasons, it appears), is certainly justified. I look forward to the further issues in CPO's ongoing series(what an amazingly prolific company CPO is and how seriously it takes its self-assumed responsibility to give us complete cycles of the music of forgotten composers!).

The two Rontgen CDs have made much more of an impact on me than the 3rd symphony(issued about a year ago now). One could not claim that Rontgen was a progressive or advanced composer(at least from the evidence available to me) but his music is extremely engaging and tuneful in an old-fashioned sort of way. His great friendship with Grieg certainly hugely influenced his music.

Having earlier been a bit dismissive of Dopper I had best go back and give him another go!

I have been quite impressed by Rontgens cello concertoes and the double chamber music disc on Etcetera (and have mentioned that in other threads). The Badings series I have already made a note of and will be looking into.

What about Willem Pijper? I remember having his string quartets on and Olympia CD on my wish list but never coming around to buy it before Olympia went belly-up. Anybody know that disc? And any chance of seing that on a reissue label?

[Harry]

What about Willem Pijper? I remember having his string quartets on and Olympia CD on my wish list but never coming around to buy it before Olympia went belly-up. Anybody know that disc? And any chance of seing that on a reissue label?

Brilliant already released a few things from Olympia, but the problem is that the rights were rather randomly sold, so lets hope Brilliant did do the buying concerning the works from Pijper, and many others, for that label released many unknown works from obscure composers that had something to tell.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

When I met up with fellow member Christo last August, he made me listen to some late symphonies by Röntgen. They were very surprising, structurally very free, almost improvised. They didn't want to impress you. The symphonies sounded like a colourful thinking aloud. All I remember from them is their atmosphere.

[Harry]

When I met up with fellow member Christo last August, he made me listen to some late symphonies by Röntgen. They were very surprising, structurally very free, almost improvised. They didn't want to impress you. The symphonies sounded like a colourful thinking aloud. All I remember from them is their atmosphere.

Christo....yes I remember the genial fellow, was in, and then went out, not to be seen for how many months now.
Anyway, Rontgen is on my hunting list. I am glad that CPO will record loads of his music!

[Lethevich]

What about Willem Pijper? I remember having his string quartets on and Olympia CD on my wish list but never coming around to buy it before Olympia went belly-up. Anybody know that disc? And any chance of seing that on a reissue label?

I ran into his first symphony on Operashare, and it was a good listen, although I don't have much basis for comparison - I could rehost it later if you haven't heard it.

[Harry]

I ran into his first symphony on Operashare, and it was a good listen, although I don't have much basis for comparison - I could rehost it later if you haven't heard it.

Please Sarah!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I second Harry - a long time ago I read an article by Matthijs Vermeulen, called (iirc) 'De schreeuw van Pijper' ('Pijper's Cry'), in which he describes the overwhelming impression the opening of Pijper's First symphony made. It would be nice to be able to listen to it after more than 25 years...

Johan

P.S. Harry: Christo is very busy - he teaches at a 'Hogeschool' and is/was busy writing an essay for a book about twentieth-century music and religion. Apart from that he is married, with two young children... You get the picture.

[Harry]

I second Harry - a long time ago I read an article by Matthijs Vermeulen, called (iirc) 'De schreeuw van Pijper' ('Pijper's Cry'), in which he describes the overwhelming impression the opening of Pijper's First symphony made. It would be nice to be able to listen to it after more than 25 years...

Johan

P.S. Harry: Christo is very busy - he teaches at a 'Hogeschool' and is/was busy writing an essay for a book about twentieth-century music and religion. Apart from that he is married, with two young children... You get the picture.

Absolutely! Well I did not know that, thought he was sitting in his comfy study, pipe in hand, remote control at his side, and playing music all day.
Little did I know. In my defense I can say, he never told me......

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Absolutely! Well I did not know that, thought he was sitting in his comfy study, pipe in hand, remote control at his side, and playing music all day.
Little did I know. In my defense I can say, he never told me......

I got to know him in 1995 in London, at a Brian concert. He was making a radio program for the VPRO about Brian (he worked as a free-lance journalist then, apart from teaching). Christo has made many, with a special emphasis on Nordic and Baltic composers, many of whom he knows personally. It was sheer luck I met him on this board, after we lost touch...

[Harry]

I got to know him in 1995 in London, at a Brian concert. He was making a radio program for the VPRO about Brian (he worked as a free-lance journalist then, apart from teaching). Christo has made many, with a special emphasis on Nordic and Baltic composers, many of whom he knows personally.

That I knew, and that is one of the reasons why I miss his valuable contributions, allthough he teased me quite a bit with my imaginary cottage in Drenthe. He made it believe as if I still dug my own turf, and made my special Jenever every other weekend.....
Had a few good laughs about that.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

That I knew, and that is one of the reasons why I miss his valuable contributions, allthough he teased me quite a bit with my imaginary cottage in Drenthe. He made it believe as if I still dug my own turf, and made my special Jenever every other weekend.....
Had a few good laughs about that.

That's him alright! 

[Lethevich]

Mediafire was being a pain at the time, so I put it on Rapidshare. Zipped, so no single track sampling, but IMO better to do it all in one due to their silly download limits: Pijper - Symphony No.1 Performer details included in a txt file.

I also uploaded this for someone outside of GMG yesterday, and it may as well be posted here (it's on topic, after all ):

Bernard Zweers
Symphony No.3 "Aan mijn vaderland" (To my fatherland)

I. In the Dutch forests
II. In the country
III. On the beach and at sea
IV. To the capital

Residentie Orchestra The Hague
Hans Vonk
Recorded in 1979
Apparently from an OOP Olympia CD