Einaudi II

Unless I get in another Uber taxi with an Einaudi lover, ...

...I will not write about him again after this:
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Again. I got in an Uber taxi and I heard some piano chords that sounded terribly familiar. I asked the driver who it was.

Ludovico Einaudi, yet again....

Now I told him about my experience from last week right away (http://tinyurl.com/pbqgt4n). Again I asked the driver why he liked this music. It gave him tranquility. He said he drives 80 hours a week and he needs something to make him quiet, something to separate him from the unrest around him. Something that not stimulates him too much, but just makes his mind calm down.

Although this man was not so philosophical as the driver from last week, there were 2 (!) Einaudi lovers in one week in my taxi. And he gave more or less the same reason for loving the music of Einaudi.
He also plays a bit of piano and loves classical music. We started to discuss music in general and came to the conclusion that Einaudi might be good for people to enter the world of classical music that is not Mozart or Brahms. I hope they evolve and discover other music. Music that does move you, in some way, or tells you a story, or whatever.... But music that does something and is not merely grey-ish wallpaper.

I cannot imagine that one would still listen to Einaudi, even to relax or meditate, once you've heard Reich or Glass.

Einaudi

I was in an uber taxi some days ago...

... and the driver and I got to talk. The guy was about 25 years old and seemed very sympathetic. At some point I asked him if he was interested in music. He told he went through a life changing event 12 months ago. I asked him what it was. He said it was the discovery of Einaudi's music. I didn't want to tell him my opinion just yet and asked him what compelled him about this music. He told me that it was the lack of emotion of the music. It didn't impose feeling on him. Einaudi's music enhanced his own emotion.
I love the explanation. Although I do not like Einaudi's music at all, the definition gave me chills.
Later on I told him what I think about this music. I guess one the reasons I do not like this music at all, is the absolute lack of feeling in it. The same reason he loves it.
He was surprised but also very open. I gave him a list of 'homework'. Composers like Glass, Reich and even Nyman.

This man went through a very important life event because of this music. Music that I consider to be the musical equivalant of a MacDonalds hamburger. No nutritional value whatsoever, and you're hungry again after five minutes.

Intriguing....

(Sorry for the typos)

Agenda updated until March

BIMlab

Yesterday I went to the BIMlab. An initiative that uNifies musicians that you would normally not put together.

Video

Jan Menu and Jodi Gilbert invited two other musicans, Maarten Ornstein and Joost Buis to play two sets with them. The concert was not in the hall itself, but the cafe. They played in the middle with a tremendous view of the IJ and the Station.

The musicians needed the first set to warm up and feel the possibilities. The second set was something new, something that was not the sum of the four musicians.

I had a great night. Thanks guys.

Remy van Kesteren and Ties Mellema in Spiegelzaal Radio

Right at the start after the talk by Hans van den Boom

Radio 4

Riots in Ferguson, photography by Philip Montgomery

These photos are incredible.

Business week

Inspiration, originality and above all, great music making

This was Sax14 for me.

What an amazing festival Sax14 was. So many great artists, all on the saxophone, united in the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw. I tried to go to as many concerts as I could, but some I had to pass, due to my own activities and in the end, because I was way too tired!

The Muziekgebouw was bursting with saxophone, with music. Every 15 minutes there seemed to start something else. Either in one of the halls or outside them.

I had the honor to play the opening concert with ASKO-Schoenberg, Aurelia and Artvark Saxophone Quartets. Arno Bornkamp, the artistic leader of the festival asked me to play Donatoni’s ‘Hot’, one of his favorite pieces he told me a few times: the pressure was on :-)

I had mixed feelings after my performance. The piece is very hard and very fast, there’s hardly time to think and reflect during playing. And afterwards only the moments that I wasn’t sure about stayed with me. I had to give a few days. Luckily the Volkskrant wrote a very positive line about my performance. After hearing the radio recording I too could be satisfied.

After me, the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet played JacobTV’s Tipperary Concerto. I only heard this piece during the rehearsal and it was a lovely piece which was played extremely well. Only a short time ago the Aurelia changed their concertmaster and baritoneplayer, but the new Aurelia Quartet seems like they have playing together for years now.

But the thing that I wanted to talk about is the way this festival combined forces, sometimes very unexpected. I was so disappointed I could not be at the James Carter/Vincent David and Lars Mlekusch concert. But as I understand this was a gem in the program. And who would have thought this would be successful combination. Sax14 apparently :-)

Branford Marsalis is someone who is interested in many musical styles, and Sax14 got a hold of him for a recital at the BIMHuis (where I was not present either…), a masterclass and a concert with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. Branford put the classical saxophone on the map and this is great for the classical saxophone world. But Sax14 went one step further and just erased the borders between the genres.

Imagine a festival where Vincent David plays his Boulez, Mlekusch his Tenney, Branford Marsalis plays a jazz recital, all level saxophonists play together in a mega saxophone orchestra and that is closed off by Candy Dulfer. Well, it came true.

Sax14 made me think, gave me inspiration.