Vier Letzte Lieder

The Netherlands Wind Ensemble has played a major role in my life for over 30 years. I have been extremely lucky performing with this splendid group and then also being invited to arrange for the ensemble. I owe my performing colleagues, staff members, production crew and directors Bart Schneemann and Niek Wijns so much… Now at the age of 61 and with a new generation of great arrangers coming up and deserving the same opportunities I had I made what will probably be one of my final large arrangements/orchestrations for the band: Richard Strauss’ 4 Last Songs.
We’re now halfway a 13 concert tour in the Netherlands and it has been a thrill. Of course it is all about singing in this tour and a wonderful magical alto-mezzo is enchanting us every night: Carina Vinke. So delicate, so intimate…. She sings like a viola. (my favorite string instrument…) Tonight Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Looking forward. And there is a chance that a serious recording may come out. I’ll keep you posted!

Similar Posts

  • Rimas de Bécquer

    Happy to tell you that I sent out my ‘Rimas de Bécquer’, (five rhymes by the romantic Andalusian poet Gustavo Bécquer (1836-1870)) to Fokko Oldenhuis, conductor of the Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij. Five songs for choir (SATB + soloists SATBar) and soprano saxophone, in all some 16 minutes of music. Thus fulfilling one of the promises…

  • New commission for clarinet solo

    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…

  • Duo for James Barger / Ben Still

    Recently I was approached by James Barger from the Mirasol (saxophone) Quartet with a request to write a saxophone-duo to be premiered at the NASA 2016 in the USA. To fund this he and Ben Still started an initiative to be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/895230693873146/ Looking forward very much to start writing on this duo.

  • New Works for Ties Mellema

    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…

  • Wordsworth Poems Wereldpremiere

    Op een steenworp van de Houses of Parliament staat de St. John’s Smith Square, een kerk met een roerige geschiedenis. Ze werd gebouwd in 1710, brandde af in 1742, werd herbouwd en toen door de bliksem getroffen in 1815, herrees wederom en bood in het interbellum plaats aan een jongenskoor waar Benjamin Britten in korte…