Very bad news just after the 2015 summer. My friend and colleague Ties Mellema – I wrote quite a few pieces for him and his Amstel Quartet and he has been a great inspiration over many years – has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. He is now being treated and his chances of recovery are…
The 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…
On 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…
Some time ago Shevaughan Beere, baritone saxophonist with the Ferio Saxophone Quartet, approached me: on their first album they would like to include some of my Ciudades. London is not too far away, so we decided to meet somewhere before the recording sessions. On July 27 I flew over to London to find the Quartet…
One of the finest musicians I ever worked with is hornplayer Ron Schaaper (Residentie Orchestra The Hague; Netherlands Wind Ensemble). He also plays some lovely guitar and sings wonderfully, a typical specimen of a very handy and naturally gifted musician. (with a good sense of humor) Always wanted to write something for him and two…
Sort 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…
When in Porto last week I got a phone call from clarinettist Harmen de Boer. He asked me if I would be interested writing a solo piece for clarinet for the upcoming https://www.facebook.com/klarinetfestival in the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw aan het IJ as he is co-hosting this huge festival. Did not take me too long to answer…
It is a long climb from Porto’s ancient town centre to the Escola Superior de Música e das Artes (ESMAE), the Porto Academy of Music, but the walk is wonderful. Leading from the Douro river through stairways, squares full of houses covered with traditional azuléjos, the famous blue porcelain tiles from Portugal, and small mysterious…
Van de oude binnenstad van Porto naar het plaatselijke conservatorium, de Escola Superior de Música e das Artes (kortweg ESMAE) is het een hele klim, maar de wandeling is zeer de moeite waard. De weg leidt van de oever van de Douro omhoog via trappen, en pleinen vol prachtige panden, gedecoreerd met traditionele azuléjos, geglazuurde…
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of hearing a new work of a dear friend being premiered. Composer Perry Goldstein wrote …shreds and patches… for pianist Gilbert Kalish and it was premiered in the (New York) Lincoln Center Chamber Music series on April 30. I met Perry in 1994 when as a member of the…
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