Catching up 1
It has been 5 years that I posted here and a LOT has happened since. I will inform you very soon! I will sort of start by going back first and then slowly approach the now…..
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Present from the Melisma Quartet
ByWillem van MerwijkOn the doormat today a very nice present: the new CD by the Melisma Saxophone Quartet with music by Bach, Grieg, Ligeti and Lago. The Melisma is a very international group (Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland) and they all graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatory with Arno Bornkamp (and a bit with me as I take over…
Babele
ByWillem van MerwijkIn the summer of 2022 I received an email from Roma. A request by the Italian saxophonist Mario Ciaccio to participate in a new project he initiated based on the myth of the Tower of Babel; ‘Babele’ in Italian. His invitation to me was to write the title piece of his triple CD-project also called…
Adaptation Canciones Flamencas
ByWillem van MerwijkThe sax/percussion duo Lorenci/Mlacnik from Slovenia (both of them studying in Amsterdam at the ConservatoriumVanAmsterdam) asked to make an alto sax version of the three Canciones Flamencas, originally for soprano saxophone and marimba (+ bass drum ad lib.). I am a fan of the duo so I could not say no although I am really…
Catching up 6: Isolario (Book of Islands)
ByWillem van MerwijkIn May 2021 Caspar Vos, pianist and artistic director of the Schiermonnikoog Music Festivals approached me with the request to write a piece for the 20th International Schiermonnikoog Chamber Music Festival. For the first anniversary of the Festival I had written a fun piece for the Syrene Saxophone Quartet yet this time the idea was…
Catching up 4: Dos Caras (Two Faces)
ByWillem van MerwijkOver the years I have of course met quite some colleague saxophonists, but I think the most humorous and simultaneously intelligent colleague/friend is french saxophonist/composer/arranger Philippe Geiss. Alsatian born and since quite some time professor at Strassbourg Academy of Music he is traveling the world as a composer, teacher and musician.His interests and capacities go…
Consecuencias
ByWillem van MerwijkSort of outburst of creative energy over the last month. Over two weeks ago now I finished ‘Consecuencias’ for alto saxophone (or clarinet in Bb) and string quartet (or string orchestra). A three movement piece, first movement ‘de la ignorancia’ (consequences of ignorance), second ‘del amor’ (for my wife Saskia) and third movement ‘de la…