Ties Mellema/Hans Eijsackers, recital piano/saxophone
Half Blood, the Music of Prince (with En Accord String Quartet and bassist Wilmar de Visser)
Shadows, solo saxophone with subtle electronics
Minimal Ties, minimal music now and then
2012-2013Programmes
Mellema/EijsackersDuo
recital saxophone/piano
Asaxophone and piano recital by the winner of the Dutch Music Prize,Ties Mellema, and one of the most versatile pianists of Holland, HansEijsackers. During the concert Ties and Hans will gladly tell theaudience more about the various pieces they play.
The programme isa selection of the most successful adaptations and originalcompositions for saxophone and piano from the Mellema/Eijsackersduo’s repertoire.
The Irish composer Ian Wilson and jazzdouble-bassist Tony Overwater are currently composing new work forTies and Hans for the 2012-2013 season.
Programmeproposal:
Maurice Ravel - Sonate Posthume
SergejRachmaninov - Sonate Op. 19
Interval
ClaudeDebussy/Hans Eijsackers - Syrinx
Ian Wilson - New Work
TonyOverwater - New Work
Guillermo Lago - Strong Ties
(subjectto change, final programme always by agreement)
'MinimalTies'
Ties Mellema, solosaxophone
optionally with Niels Bijl, saxophones
Minimalmusic highlights from the saxophone repertoire. Golden Oldies andcontemporary minimal music.
TerryRiley - Dorian Reeds
Philip Glass - Gradus
Ties Mellema -Minimal Impro
Ian Wilson - Ondes Ombragées
(for saxophone andLIVE recorded tape)
Eduardo Marturet - Canto Llano
(forsaxophone and tape delay)
WithNiels Bijl, saxophones
Marc Mellitis - Black
for two baritonesaxophones
Philip Glass, Music in the Shape of a Square
for twosoprano saxophones
(subjectto change, final programme always by agreement)
'Shadows'
TiesMellema, solo saxophones
Apoetical programme built up around the Irishman Ian Wilson and hisOndes Ombragées,a piece in which the saxophonist records himself in the first halfand plays together with himself in the second half. The programme isbeautifully balanced and varied through the subtle use ofelectronics.
'Shadows'is Ties Mellema’s continuing quest to take the audience with himinto his musical world. Ties is constantly looking for new pieces andsounds (for instance through the subtle use of electronics). Inaddition there are constantly composers writing for this versatilemusician. Each concert has a place in Ties’ development and growthas a musician and as a saxophonist.
Each programme is attuned tothe space in which the concert will take place. The space ispreferably used in an unconventional way.
There are two constants:the Irish composer Ian Wilson and Johann Sebastian Bach (Cello suiteno. 3 or the Partita BWV 1013)
Sampleprogramme:
EduardoMarturet (1953) - Canto Llano
for saxophone and tape delay
IanWilson (1964) - Ondes Ombragées
for saxophone and LIVE recordingand play-back
Luciano Berio (1925-2003) - Sequenza VIIb
forsolo saxophone
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - Cello suite no.1, 3 and/or Partita (orig. flute)
for saxophone
Jorrit Dijkstra- new work, written for Ties Mellema
for saxophone andelectronics
Maarten Ornstein - Leap Frog (2011), written for TiesMellema
for saxophone and electronics
(subject to change, finalprogramme always by agreement)
'HalfBlood, the music of Prince'
TiesMellema, saxes
En Accord, string quartet
Wilmar de Visser,double bass
Asa saxophonist I am used to playing all kinds of styles in myconcerts. One style that I have barely played during my career, sinceI left the conservatory, is pop music, even though this type of musicformed a substantial part of my musical development as a teenager.
The most important pop artist during puberty for me, was Prince.Prince is an artist who has always fascinated me. He can suddenlychange styles, from one album to the next, from one song to the next.His compositions are a match for many a classical piece.
I haveasked composers to recompose one or more songs for saxophone andstring quartet:
David Dramm, Martin Fondse, Wijnand van Klaveren,Pieter-Jelle de Boer, Guillermo Lago, Ruud van Eeten and RenskeVrolijk.
Theresult is truly varied. Van Klaveren used the modal character ofThieves in the Temple, Purple Rain and Diamonds and Pearls and turnedit into a Suite in the style of Rachminov.
Guillermo Lagotransformed Sign o' the Times into an impressionistic poem.
DavidDramm wrote a fascinating 'medley' by putting intros to Prince songsin sequence and replacing all the original sounds by acoustic soundssuch as my saxophone, his own voice and that of Monica Germino.
Thecomposers’ were asked to ‘recompose’ and explicitly not torearrange in the usual sense. My brief to the composers was:‘Recompose this piece in your own style, making sure the melodyremains recognisable. You can run with that.’
In the end theyare all new re-compositions. With elements and melodies which willsound familiar to many, in a new context, a new perspective, with atwist and with an unexpected sound.
(subjectto change, final programme always by agreement)
