An Ox on the Roof 17: The Ox in times of the coronavirus #5.
Today, the seventeenth episode of An Ox on the Roof of Thea Derks, based on Een os op het dak: moderne muziek na 1900 in vogelvlucht.
How will musical life go on after the summer holidays? The answer is unknown. Last month several concerts already have been taking place before an audience. But still, organizers of concerts live in uncertainty these times. It costs a lot of energy and money to put into practice this meter-and-a-half doctrine, and it may just as well be that the concert halls will be allowed to open again normally in September – without any limitations as to the number of visitors.
If face masks are considered sufficient to prevent contamination in public transport, why does that not apply to concert halls? No one knows which measures our government will take after the summer recess.
In the last few episodes of An Ox on the Roof, Derks always focused on music of Dutch composers, to hearten them. On 5 July she played the oratorio Inferno of Jan van Vlijmen, pal in the combat of Reinbert de Leeuw, about whom she wrote a biography in 2014. Recently, the 3rd edition,, with two extra chapters, came out (these chapters are also available separately as Slotakkoord: Reinbert de Leeuw 2014-2020). Our colleague Mark van de Voort has written a nice review.
Today, you hear a recording of the song cycle The Open Road of Kate Moore, the Australian-Dutch composer who won the Matthijs Vermeulenprijs in 2017, as first woman ever. She is one of the many women composers we discuss in An Ox on the Roof .
This also applies to the American-Dutch Vanessa Lann. Today’s programme is concluded with her composition Is a Bell…. A Bell? for two toy pianos, which she wrote for the Austrian pianist Isabel Ettenauer.
[Tip: if you purchase ‘de Os’ via the web site boekenbestellen.nl , you will receive a copy with personal dedication.]
1. Kate Moore [picture]. The Open Road.
Michaela Riener, voice and organ. Eva Tebbe, voice and harp. Mark Kaptijn, voice and trumpet. Eef van Breen, voice. Frank Wienk, percussion. Kate Moore, organ and celesta.
2. Vanessa Lann. Is a Bell… a Bell?
Isabel Ettenauer, toy pianos.
Production, presenting and editing: Thea Derks
