Thou singest ye carol

Evert Jan Nagtegaal on Theo Loevendie (96)

Composer and jazz musician Theo Loevendie: “My imagination knows no bounds.”

Next Thursday, 17 September, composer Theo Loevendie hopes to celebrate his 96th birthday. Here at the Concertzender programme Die Sanck een Liedt, we are marking the occasion with an hour devoted to two remarkable works from his extensive oeuvre. Loevendie has never regarded the boundaries between classical music, jazz and improvisation as particularly important. You will hear why.

Playlist:

• Theo Loevendie – De Nachtegaal (1974–79) (Hans Christian Andersen)
  Spoken voice: Lieuwe Visser; Ensemble M, conducted by David Porcelijn
  Studio recording, 25 December 1982

Theo van de Vathorst: De keizer en de nachtegaal

• Theo Loevendie – Six Turkish Folkpoems (1971)

  1. “Şu dağlar olmasaydı” (“If only there were no mountains”)
  2. “Mercimek kile kile” (“I filled the jug with lentils”)
  3. “Ak gelin allı gelin” (“Come, white bride, red bride”)
  4. “Al çubanın hasını” (“Come, take the finest cloak”)
  5. “Karpuz kestim yiyen yok” (“I cut open a watermelon, but there was no one to eat it”)
  6. “Dolu musun boş musun” (“Are you busy or are you free?”)
     Dorothy Dorow (soprano), Rien de Reede (flute), Sjef Douwes (clarinet), Johan Kracht (violin), René van Ast (cello), Vera Badings (harp), Willy Goudswaard (percussion), Stanley Hoogland (piano), Reinbert de Leeuw (conductor)
     Studio recording, 30 October 1979

Dorothy Dorow en Theo Loevendie

• Theo Loevendie – from Johnny en Jones (2001) (Carel Alphenaar): “Westerborklied” (“Als de avond is gevallen”)
  Marcel Boone (baritone/Johnny), Arnold Bezuyen (tenor/Jones), Nieuw Ensemble, conducted by Lawrence Renes
  Live recording, Dutch National Opera, 8 July 2001

Pictured: Theo Loevendie – photo by Bülent Evren

Book cover: Prometheus, Amsterdam 2018 ISBN 978-90-446-3674-1

https://www.theoloevendie.com

https://onsamsterdam.nl/artikelen/de-vaste-route-van-theo-loevendie