Panorama de Leeuw XX, 1 June 2016: young people and amateurs
Thea Derks follows the musical career of Reinbert de Leeuw using her biography “Reinbert de Leeuw, mens of melodie” as her guide.
Last time we looked at two musical extremes: Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Adams. In between there’s Olivier Meassiaen, a lifelong love of Reinbert de Leeuw.
In that episode a clip from ‘Quatuor pour la fin du temps’ (Quartet for the end of time) could already be heard, the composition with which Reinbert de Leeuw and the Rondom Quartet created a furore.
In 1986, Messiaen was a guest at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague for a composer’s project. Robert de Leeuw led the students through his renowned Turangalîla Symphony. Working with students and young people is a connecting thread in the life of De Leeuw. He will also be performing the Turangalîla Symphony with students of the NJO Summer Academy he co-founded.
Five years Reinbert de Leeuw’s senior was Bernard van Beurden (1933-2016). Although he campaigned for contemporary music and together with Theo Loevendie composed an opera, he never truly belonged. He devoted himself to composing for amateurs who he got excited for modernist composing techniques.
Van Beurden passed away on 15 May 2016. Today as a tribute, you will hear his Mass for soprano, accordion, cello, and harmony orchestra from 1989.
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1. Olivier Messiaen. Parts from the Turangalîla symphony. NJO Symphony orchestra, conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw.
2. Bernard van Beurden. Mass.
Marjanne Kweksilber, soprano. Miny Dekkers, accordion. Taco Kooistra, cello. Harmony Orchestra Rotterdam Conservatory, conducted by Arie van Beek.
