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Earwitness: |
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On 8th February we reach the hundredth and last episode of the series Earwitness: Everything in memory of you. A series in which programme maker Arthur Olof (1957-2014) described Russian music in the 20th century.Arthur passed away in 2014. Once it became clear that he was not going to get better, he put everything into completing his life's work. He couldn't, so violinist Floortje Beljon was asked to do so. This is how that happened. 
“During secondary school I discovered Shostakovich's music. I listened to all his music and went to the school library to see if I could get the book Testimony to learn more about the composer's life. They didn't have it, but the librarian gave me Arthur Olof's email address, saying if I wanted to know more about Shostakovich I should certainly contact him. I e-mailed Arthur and that was the start of a long e-mail correspondence.” Sheltered “A few years later, while I was studying violin at the Rotterdam
conservatorium, Isabelle Faust played Shostakovich's second
violin concerto in the Concertgebouw with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Arthur suggested we go together, so that was when we first met. We
discovered that his father, violinist Theo Olof, had been sheltered by
my mother's family during the war and that in the early 60's Arthur
lived in the same Hague street as my mother.” “A little later I moved to Amsterdam and often met Arthur there. We went together to concerts, museums, exhibitions or talked music in the pub. I talked about what I was playing or listening to, he often about his discoveries for the programme Earwitness for the Concertzender.” Up to the last moment “When Arthur passed away his wife José asked me to make the last few episodes. I found that a great honour, but also quite tense. We'd talked a lot about music, but he had the whole of 20th century Russian music in his head and could connect that with history, literature etc. Fortunately José found Arthur's notes on his computer and I was able to use those.” “Arthur worked to the very last moment of his life on this radio series in the hope of completing it. Unfortunately he wasn't successful. With the greatest pleasure I've put together the last episodes, listened for hours to music and read a lot. It it still very difficult to summarise a whole century of Russian music and maybe I haven't been completely successful. But in every episode there's lovely well-known and unknown music. I hope the listeners will enjoy it.” Earwitness: Everything in memory of you #100:
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