Cd Canto Ostinato four pianos by Piano Ensemble, Oldenburg, Russo, Van Veen & Van Veen

Golden Disc >20.000 sold
Composer: Simeon ten Holt
Performers: Fred Oldenburg, Irene Russo, Jeroen van Veen, Sandra van Veen on four Fazioli Grand Pianos
Duration: CD 1: 75'00 & CD 2: 70'06 (DDD)
Recording: Recorded in 2005, Culemborg by Jeroen van Veen (Van Veen Productions.com)

About this release
'My compositions take shape without any predetermined plan and are, as it were, the reflection of a quest for an unknown goal.' Simeon ten Holt

The Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt (b.1923) began his career immersed in the intricacies and innovations of serialism, exploring what he described as 'the semantics of musical language' in an endeavour to expand his musical expression. However, in 1970 he abandoned the complex twelve-note technique that had been the standard since the Second World War, and returned to sounds and patterns that were easier for the ear to understand. In doing so, he created a unique Dutch minimalist style, using simple triads, shifting rhythmic patterns and repetition.

Canto Ostinato, scored for four grand pianos, is the quintessential example of Ten Holt's groundbreaking minimalist style, one of his most well-known and critically-acclaimed compositions. Constructed using short cells that can be repeated an indeterminate number of times by performers, the music is hypnotic and emotionally moving, taking listeners on a journey through musical landscapes.

With an expert performance by Piano Ensemble, a group that includes a number of specialists in minimalism, this recording is authoritative, complex yet accessible, and an essential addition to the collection of anyone interested in minimalism.

Other information:
- Considered one of the best and most successful works of "Minimal Music", the Canto Ostinato by Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt acquired a cult status.
- Performed on four Fazioli Grand Pianos.
- Performances all over the world work their magic power over the audience, hypnotising the listeners in the sequences of repeated phrases, subtly changing textures and unheard sonorities.
- Booklet notes written by the performers and composer.

Tracklisting

Ten Holt: Canto Ostinato, Part I

1. Section 1 03:54
2. Section 5 04:14
3. Section 10 05:20
4. Section 14 08:42
5. Section 20 08:10
6. Section 25 07:01
7. Section 35 05:19
8. Section 41 07:47
9. Section 56 03:59
10. Section 60 01:10
11. Section 69 04:10
12. Theme I, Section 74 05:11
13. Section 78 03:22
14. Section 83 06:31

Ten Holt: Canto Ostinato, Part II

1. Section 88 A 07:32
2. Section 88 B 08:43
3. Section 88 E 05:47
4. Section 88 F 08:44
5. Section 88 C 06:26
6. Section 89 02:38
7. Section 91 A 02:42
8. Section 91 C 04:17
9. Section 91 E 08:00
10. Section 92 01:31
11. Theme II, Section 95 04:58
12. Section 97 03:50
13. Section 105 01:43
14. Section 106 03:07

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