Genieting VIII in De Nacht van de Viool
24 01 26 Filed in: concerts
Photo and Light Art by Lichtbende
I'm thrilled that violinist Janneke van Prooijen is playing a set of pieces from Genieting VIII for solo violin in the Nacht van de Viool (Night of the Violin). It's a bit of an experiment for us, as we need to see whether such a selection from the extensive work (45 minutes!) will actually work. It should be possible, as it's common practice in the performance of the Nubat, a large-scale Andalusian music genre and one of my references in Genieting VIII, along with Turkish classical music, Balkan music, and flamenco. January 30, 19:30-20:00 in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht!
Continuation of the From Scratch cycle
25 09 25 Filed in: work in progress
This fall, I began work on the third and final part of the From Scratch Cycle. From Scratch is based on drawings by visual artist Alexandra Roozen. As the title suggests, I'm building the music from the ground up, closely following Roozen's working method rather than the feelings her work evokes in me.
The first part of the cycle, From Scratch I, ›Plain Dust‹ & ›Trills‹, was performed in 2019 by the Ives Ensemble at the November Music Festival and the Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam.
From Scratch II, ›Seen by Hand‹, was completed in 2020 but not performed due to the coronavirus epidemic.
In 2013, Alexandra exhibited the series of drawings ›Traces‹ in Seoul, which is based on the instructions for the musicians in the score of From Scratch I.
For From Scratch III, I'm basing my work on her most recent series of drawings: ›Surround‹ & ›Black Ice‹, a glimpse of which can be seen in the photo (Gallery Roger Katwijk).
Premiere Genieting VIII for violin
04 06 25 Filed in: concerts
With Manuel De Falla. Three years ago. That was during the preparations for Genieting VIII, an extensive work for solo violin that Janneke van Prooijen will premiere on 8 June | 3 pm in the Uilenburgersjoel in Amsterdam. »A body piece«, she calls it. It is also a study of music from Andalusia, Al-Andalus, traditional Turkish and Balkan music. I am not following in De Falla's footsteps, but the clarity and precision of his compositions certainly appeal to me. His El Retablo de Maese Pedro is unsurpassed.
Well, if you want to know how I do that with music from strange, faraway countries, you should come and listen!
After Genieting VIII, by the way with beautiful light projections by Lichtbende, the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra will play a short program with music from the regions on which I based my music. All this in the Klankkleurfestival 2025.