Very recently passed away at age 89 Simeon ten Holt was the Icon of
Dutch minimalism. His works for multiple pianos include his most famous
work, ‘Canto Ostinato’, which gained cult status with a large audience
not necessarily familiar with traditional classical music.
The
slowly shifting repeated patterns in Ten Holt’s music have a hypnotic
and hallucinatory effect on listeners, during concerts which may take
several hours.
Dutch pianist Jeroen van Veen is “the leading
exponent of minimalism in Holland” (Alan Swanson in Fanfare), a close
acquaintance of Ten Holt, the ideal interpreter of his music.
Born
in 1923, Simeon ten Holt was a leading Dutch composer who came to
attention following studies in Paris with Honegger and Milhaud. His
music is best described as minimalist, and draws on the principles of
Western harmony as well as those of aleatoricism.
This 5CD compilation is dedicated to Ten Holt’s music for piano, an instrument
that dominates his output and which for him contained all the
possibilities he needed as a composer. Undoubtedly the most famous work
featured is Canto Ostinato – a piece of stretched tones and fixed parts
which, depending on the amount of repetition_/_phrasing_/_emphasis and
volume as determined by the individual performer, provides for an almost
endless range of performances.
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