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Dear Gabriele,
“There is no Minimalistic composer who has so much freedom” as ten Holt, said the pianist Jeroen van Veen, adding that ten Holt’s fluid compositions “gave back what had been lost in the classical tradition: being flexible onstage.” But in the wider historical schemes — of Minimalism, and of European classical music too — those characteristics do make him “an outsider,” van Veen said.
That change came with van Veen, who started the Simeon ten Holt Foundation in 2015 to promote his music to an international audience. …..
When it comes to understanding Minimalism, “we know how things ended up,” O’Brien said, “and then we look back to history to reinforce the lead-up to that.” And a composer like ten Holt — who bridged musical worlds without ever truly settling in any camp — quietly disrupts those narratives." New York Times, 3/2/2023
Jeroen van Veen together with his brother Maarten was a winner of the 1995 International Dranoff 2 Piano Competition. Since those days, we have done many projects with both brothers, both as a duo and individually.
Jeroen’s passion for the world of minimal music is a guiding principle for his programmatic choices and recordings. None more profound than for the music of Simeon ten Holt. Jeroen and his wife and piano partner Sandra have conceptualized “lig concerts” – performances where much of the audience lies down and can gently glide along with the seductive and soothing patterns of ten Holt’s beloved piece Canto Ostinato. Last year, they and piano Duo LP presented the Canto Ostinato to a sold out Concertgebouw.
Jeroen has been a great friend to our organization, and today we wanted to introduce you to this iconic music performed with such love and care by a wonderful musician.
Gabriele Fiorentino
President,
The Dranoff2 Piano
Piano Slam
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