Reinbert de Leeuw (1938-2020)

[Marc]

Just read this on a Dutch website.

Very sad news. De Leeuw was completely devoted to music. Especially modern music, but he was also great in a.o. Bach, Liszt and Satie.

When he was on the telly, talking about music, playing and talking, communicating with interviewers or other musicians, you could just feel his devotion and enthousiasm.

May he rest in peace.

[T. D.]

RIP.
I'm a fan, mostly in modern music, but enjoyed him in all I heard.

[Marc]

RIP.
I'm a fan, mostly in modern music, but enjoyed him in all I heard.

In 2010, he performed 4'33" of John Cage in the most popular talkshow on Dutch telly.
One of those rare occasions that classical music was a hot topic (almost ) everywhere in the country the day after.
IIRC, before he began, he had talked about and explained the essence of silence in music.

Not sure if this link works outside NL, but here's his performance:

https://www.npostart.nl/reinbert-de-leeuw-speelt-433-van-john-cage/05-09-2018/WO_NPO_13084386

[T. D.]

Thanks. It so happens that only a few weeks ago I watched many Youtube videos of RdL playing and conducting at the 2011 Ustvolskaya festival.
Here's a far-out example (Composition #2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnZ0UBC07Ow
He was also a big advocate for Mauricio Kagel's music.

[bhodges]

Oh this is very sad. Have enjoyed many of his recordings over the years, of Ligeti, Satie, Gubaidulina, Andriessen, Messiaen, and others. Love seeing Ustvolskaya mentioned, too.

--Bruce

[Papy Oli]

Oh that's a sad loss. I only know him for his Satie twofer but his very slow Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes are on my desert island playlist. his interpretation just adds another dimension to the pieces. 

[Mandryka]

No more heros any more.

Play this in his honour

https://www.youtube.com/v/3etAsKqcQVk

[bhodges]

In 2010, he performed 4'33" of John Cage in the most popular talkshow on Dutch telly.
One of those rare occasions that classical music was a hot topic (almost ) everywhere in the country the day after.
IIRC, before he began, he had talked about and explained the essence of silence in music.

Not sure if this link works outside NL, but here's his performance:

https://www.npostart.nl/reinbert-de-leeuw-speelt-433-van-john-cage/05-09-2018/WO_NPO_13084386

Oh this is so cool (and yes, works fine outside NL). Thank you so much for posting. Trying to imagine a similar phenomenon here in the US, but not holding my breath. 

--Bruce

[bhodges]

No more heros any more.

Play this in his honour

https://www.youtube.com/v/3etAsKqcQVk

And this is so beautiful, too! Thanks for posting. As with the Cage, might never have seen it.

--Bruce

[Maestro267]

I first discovered him as a composer, a couple of years ago when a work of his was played at the Proms. I didn't really know he was a highly-regarded pianist at the time.

RIP

[San Antone]

Just read this on a Dutch website.

Very sad news. De Leeuw was completely devoted to music. Especially modern music, but he was also great in a.o. Bach, Liszt and Satie.

His three recordings of Via Crucis are first rate, and as is usually the case with his recordings, uniquely done.

His most recent recording of Liszt's work, released in 2019, is this one, and is among the best IMO.

[Iota]

And this is so beautiful, too! Thanks for posting.

Ah really yes, thanks for posting! It almost seems to presage Mahler's Der Abschied in that form. Will check the Cage later.

Sad loss.

Played the Kurtag, Grabstein fur Stephan on ECM, in memory. I didn't really know him as a pianist either, a situation that will now be rectified.

[J.A.W.]

And there's also this album, with De Leeuw at the piano:

[asin]B07FSRBH41[/asin]

[J.A.W.]

Not my favourite composer, but Reinbert de Leeuw made several highly regarded recordings of Satie's piano works, inclduing these albums:

[asin]B005JS7V82[/asin]

[asin]B0000069CS[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Such sad news! Ughh...so many of my heroes are passing away. Leeuw really was an incredible musician. R.I.P., Maestro Leeuw.

I absolutely adore these recordings:

[Traverso]

Such sad news! Ughh...so many of my heroes are passing away. Leeuw really was an incredible musician. R.I.P., Maestro Leeuw.

I absolutely adore these recordings:

Thank you for posting the CD with music dedicated to Ruth Crawford Seeger
I must have this recording.

[Christo]

Adapted from the Listening thread:

What made him especially beloved/popular, these last years, were his highly concentrated performances - with accents and stresses only he dared to lay, I heard the one in Utrecht live at the radio - of the Matthäus Passion (a 'Dutch passion' anyway, I recall fifteen performances over three or four weeks in my home town of Utrecht alone, sang three myself in two weeks time.

E.g. 'Erbarme dich' on Youtube in memoriam:

https://www.youtube.com/v/hfEn3IpSK3o

[Mirror Image]

Thank you for posting the CD with music dedicated to Ruth Crawford Seeger
I must have this recording.

Oh yeah, it's a great disc. She belongs to the same group of American early Modernists like Ives, Ruggles, and Cowell.

[Mandryka]

Adapted from the Listening thread:

Someone's just let me have a recording of a St John Passion he played in Utrecht in March 2018. Let me know if you want it.

[J.A.W.]

Barbara Hannigan remembers Reinbert de Leeuw (6:38, interview with Ms Hannigan in English):
https://www.nporadio4.nl/fragmenten/audio/377210-barbara-hannigan-herdenkt-reinbert-de-leeuw?programme=2445