Three pieces for pianosolo
Performed by Maarten van Veen and Commissioned by the DoelenEnsemble
0.06 I. Sí calpestando fiori errava hor qua, hor là…
5.36 II. A Toccata: What is Beautiful is Loved, what is not is unloved.
9.51 III. …Lying is a delightful thing, for it leads to truth…
The three piano pieces ‘What is Beautiful is loved, and what is not is unloved’ (2014) are a salute to composers/compositions and musical styles that inspired me when composing. Giving this inspiration a conscious place in the composition, without using exact quotes, creates a connection to all kinds of other works and styles that lead to something that is new, yet can also be recognised.
The first movement ‘Sí calpestando fiori errava hor qua, hor là…’ (‘Thus she wandered over flowers, now here, then there…’) is a text fragment from Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigal ‘Non Havea Febo ancor’ (1638). The piano piece is an improvisation on this madrigal whose expression of lightness and drama is magnified. There are also references to compositions by Peter-Jan Wagemans, Wolfgang Rihm, other works by myself and a Baroque stylistic figure: the so-called seufzer.
For the second movement, ‘A Toccata: What is Beautiful is Loved, what is not is unloved’, I took an earlier work of mine, “Love Song” (2009), to do the exact opposite with the same notes: the original “Love Song” is a kind of “lazy, laid back”-like ballad, while the “Toccata” is an over-the-top fast bebop-like solo. To this, a touch of Bartok and Skrijabin is added.
The third and final movement ‘…Lying is a delightful thing, for it leads to truth…’ , a quote from Dostojewski’s novella ‘Crime and Punishment’ (1866) is a slow, dreamy ballad that threatens to turn into a nightmare towards the end.
The three piano-pieces ‘What is Beautiful is loved and what is not is unloved’ are also packed with references, in this case to other music and other art. I try to create a referential network in which ‘What is Beautiful is loved and what is not is unloved’ is one of the nodes. This network contains: Monteverdi, Rinnuncini, Theognis, Dostojewski, Razumikhin, Ades, Wagemans, Rihm, Me, Chopin, Skrijabin, Maarten van Veen and Marcel Worms