An Ox on the Roof

Today, the eighteenth episode of An Ox on the Roof of Thea Derks, based on her book Een os op het dak: moderne muziek na 1900 in vogelvlucht.

In the former episode it was still a question what music life would look like after the summer holidays. It was appropriate that Derks played the song cycle The Open Road of Kate Moore, the Australian-Dutch composer who won the Matthijs Vermeulenprijs in 2017, as first woman ever. She is one of the many women composers we discuss in An Ox on the Roof.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus has turned out to be fairly controllable, but concert halls are still allowed to accommodate only a fraction of the normal number of visitors. Nevertheless, cultural life started in abundance. While concert organizers do their best, the record industry is also doing their bit. One CD follows another. Perhaps, they hope people are more eager to buy CDs while it is more difficult to attend live performances.

Lately, a CD has been released of the Iranian harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, on which the piece Intertwined Distances, which was especially composed for him by his compatriot Anahita Abbasi. She is one of the founders of the Iranian Female Composers Association. This work links up with the theme of ‘timbre’ in the book Een os op het dak: in their search for new sounds, composers invented or reinvented the so-called ‘old instruments’. Also recorder player Saskia Coolen explores boundaries on her recently released CD Driftwork.

The British-Dutch violinist Daniel Rowland recorded the violin concerto Distant Light of the Estonian composer Pēteris Vasks, accompanied by the orchestra of his own Stift Festival https://stiftmusicfestival.nl. Vasks belongs to the movement of ‘new spiritual music’ and is also discussed in the Ox.

1. Anahita Abbasi. Intertwined Distances. 

Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord. 

2. PēterisVasks [picture]. Distant Light. 

Daniel Rowland, violin. Stift Festival Orchestra. 

3. Saskia Coolen. Kooi en Virgo. 

Saskia Coolen, recorder and voice.