Soaring

 

Sunday, January 6th, my new violin sonata will have its premiere in the Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis, performed by Sjaan Oomen, violin and Bas van Bommel, piano. Ever since composing my violin concerto in 2009, I’ve been wanting to write a sonata for violin as well. Writing the concerto reopened my eyes to all the expressive possibilities of the violin. I’ve  always had a preference towards the human voice, since the voice is so capable of conveying emotions. While writing my violin concerto, I realized that the violin is in its way just as expressive as the human voice. I wanted to capture that expressiveness in a chamber music setting, and the sonata for violin and piano perfectly fit the bill. The sonata was an expression of a new sense of freedom and hence the name ‘Soaring’. The idea of a soaring, perhaps it was inspired by my new studio with the 5 metres high ceiling and a sunroof endlessly looking into the sky.

The sonata is a classical three movement piece with a reference to sonata form in the first movement. It’s a simple lyrical second movement and the last movement reflects on Eastern European folk rhytms. The piece was commissioned by the Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK). And I was very excited that Sjaan and Bas, two excellent musician, will be doing the first performance.

Information about the concert on the Geelvinck Hinlopen website here

The concert starts at 4.45 PM at the Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis, Keizersgracht 633
1017 DS Amsterdam