In
the last episode, we paid attention to two musical extremes: Karlheinz
Stockhausen and John Adams. With between them
Olivier Messiaen, a
lifelong love of Reinbert de Leeuw.
We broadcast in that episode a fragment from Quatuor pour la fin du temps, with which Reinbert de Leeuw and the Rondom Quartet made furore.
In
1986, Messiaen was a guest at the Royal Conservatoire in Den Haag
for a composers project. Reinbert de Leeuw led the students through his
renowned Turangalîla Symphony. Working with students and young
musicians is a recurring theme in De Leeuw's career. At a later date, he would
again perform the Turangalîla Symphony with students at the NJO
Summer Academy, an initiative that De Leeuw also helped to start.
Bernard van Beurden (1933-2016) was five years older than Reinbert
de Leeuw. Though he defended contemporary music in a similar way to the
Nutcracker Action Group and composed an opera together with Theo
Loevendie, he was never fully accepted by the others. He concentrated
on composing for amateurs, who he made enthusiastic for modern
compositional techniques.
Van Beurden died on 15 May 2016.
As a tribute, the programme on Wednesday 1 June included his
Mass
for soprano, accordion, cello
and wind ensemble from 1989.
Thea Derks follows the musical
career of Reinbert de Leeuw using
her biography Reinbert de Leeuw, mens of melodie.
Broadcast: Wednesday 1 June, 21:00 - 22:00
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