Autumn Reverie (Op.5 No.17)

Waltz in Db minor, number II, because at the age of 23 I had written a waltz in Db minor also. Made the prelude for this piece (in playlist "Pianoworks"), afterwards (op.6 no.3). 

The boy in the image, generated about the way I wanted it, reminds me of my younger brother with whom I share the sadness of having our mother leaving us way too soon (age 44). There is a darkness, as well as light and joy in this piece. But she made her choice, which I respect.

Waltz in D-sharp minor (Op.6 No.2)

Something To Remember (Op.7 No.10)

"The quality of not changing, as the years go past"

As a child I could endlessly play, find joy, fascination, passion, and even obsession, in the smallest things. With the piano back into my life, I can endlessly play. I feel like a kid again and hope never to grow old.

Timelessness (Op.8 No.2)

New Performance on Youtube: https://youtu.be/TUAp-ThXmY0

When 2 years ago my friend passed along his old clavinova to me, I started composing like a train (after not having a piano for over 12 years). The 18th piece finished that first year, was this. It's the one piece inspired by someone else: Chilly Gonzales, "White Keys" (a piece my friend liked a lot).

Echoes of the White Keys (Op.5 No.18)

Volcanic River (Op.5 No.11)

Watch it on Youbube: https://youtu.be/0djtZJ0ptcg

The compositions from opus one, are actually bits and pieces from childhood; tunes I made from 8 to 13, somewhat evolved. Puberty had gotten me interested in other things, leaving the piano untouched for a while, but at age 18, my mother, who had given me the piano, had kept on trying to motivate me to start playing again. So I did.  

At age 19, when my mother died (age 44), I was compelled to make themes from childhood into two pieces, that I would play (and have played) at her funeral. All contain themes I knew she'd appreciate, staring down at us.

Images from Childhood: Jeannette (Op.1 No.1)

If you have no eyes or live deep under ground, in order to navigate, you touch things. But even if a cat would need to find you in total darkness, he is not just giving you cups and leaving its scent on you for one reason. The love for touch. The feeling of wanting to merge with someone. Thedesire for security. 

Idea's for this piece all started being on black keys and using progressions on pentatonic scale and were then transposed. After that I further composed and arranged the piece.

Thigmophilia (Op.5 No.4)

Something is keeping you up at night; it's the tormence of millions of people in my country alone. This short piece expresses the despair of having long nights, day after day. Being in the loop of wanting to sleep, but being just too awake feeding on your silly thoughts after silly thoughts... 
You try to let go, but cant. Until you finally did...

Tormence of Worry (Op.8 No.7)

Arabesque (Op.5 No.13)

This one is about a butterfly for a girl not available, as it turned out. Would want that feeling to stay, but the butterfly has gotta go. Its a busy one though; already had been going up and down starting to make the heart into a bloody home. And its a hard one to catch! There is that feeling of melancholy again. Just let go! And the butterfly leaves... 

It was good fun composing and dramatizing this piece. Especially that butterfly, I'm sure you can hear it. Been chasing it for hours :) The techiques on one part of it, I just started doing improvising once and was used in Arabesque too, but in phygian mode. In this piece its worked out more and it consists of both chords, an arpeggio and a glissando with the left pinky on black keys.

Departure of a Butterfly (Op.8 No.7)

The piece is meant as a walk to the train station; romantic, playful and sweet.

Goodbye (Op.8 No.8)

One from over 20 years ago: A mystical serenade for a lonely sorcerer.
Watch it on youtube: https://youtu.be/rPdtmwVqf0U

The Sorcerer's Nocturne (Op.2 No.4)

After not having been able to play the piano for over 12 years, this piece was the 2nd one I composed. The inspiration I found in Satie's Gnossienes, which (from 1 - 5) each go up one key. I've set this as a rule for the progressions I was going to make in this composition. Another rule I've set for myself, was to have every progression introduce a mode-change. Key to start from and all modes used where new soil to me. Inspiration for the title came from a friend who when hearing this, got visions of a flowing river.

Now I'm gonna need to take a long break from this, untill I have a DAW and my system is upgraded;  Having dealt with the negative inner voice of my father and losing the adrenaline (nearly completely), I am now dealing with latencies - going way up and flunctuating badly when recording with this digital CRAP.

I hope my dreamy world of piano music will continue to paint vivid musical landscapes and will bring joy, peace and serenity to anyone. The paint in my veins wont dry out, but I need to find another brush. Goodbye for now.

Danube's Dance (Op.5 No.2)

For this finale, the second leitmotif follows again, and from there I work towards the climax; the moment of creation, which had to be both ecstatic and emotionally overwhelming. The strongly varying tremolos that I have integrated, are inspired by the Mephisto Waltz.

Mephisto Sonata - Movement IV - Final

When the angel realizes she must complete her task, a relatively long intermezzo follows. This section is crafted into an inner dialogue, where the angel’s internal conflict is musically depicted. Shouldnt an intermezzo be short(er)? Not perse... I surely wasnt the first one and technically I see an intro, an interlude, an intermezzo and a final.

Mephisto Sonata - Movement III - Inner Dialoque

The development of the love between the angel and the progenitor is expressed with dance-like movements, in which their relationship becomes more intense and passionate and their initial innocence and joy are reflected.

Mephisto Sonata - Movement II - Dance

After watching Fransz Liszt's Mephisto Waltz, which aroused great fascination, being at my 9th opus, I didnt just want to do something with the techniques involved, but started to make my 4th sonata about the devil. But who is the devil? Wasnt it god who made us? And didnt he just leave us with our own evil? So why cant the devil be good? 

Narrative:

God sends an angel to earth to bring humanity the devil; an omniscient and almighty being, whose life's purpose is to eradicate all evil in the world. In order to give the devil enough life force, the angel must eat the heart of the progenitor.

So, then we have a romance between two,
one of whom must give up his life, as a sacrifice.

I took this poem below as a core inspiration for developing the central theme of love and sacrifice.

From Dante's "La Vita Nuovo"

"Joyous love seemed to me, the while he held,
My heart within his hands, and in his arms,
My lady lay asleep wrapped in a veil

He woke her then and trembling and obedient,
She ate that burning heart out of his hand
Weeping I saw him then depart from me"

This work was also inspired by a concept from Harry Mulisch's The Discovery of Heaven, where it remains ambiguous which of the two minars is the father—or perhaps both. What is clear, however, is that it's the conception of an angel destined to retrieve the commandments, as humanity traded religion for wealth and prosperity.

The music for this, in my opinion, would be deep, grand, compelling and dramatic. Building up, and working towards an orgasm that is nevertheless deep, tear-inducing, as the conception of something great; namely a goal, greater than ourselves.

For this musical story I limited myself to the romances, dance, introspections and finally the conception. But what if she had fallen in love with him?

Will she still accomplish her task?

Elaboration:

In order to create a balance between recognition and renewal, I have given this work a cyclical structure, more so as for my first sonata. In my second sonata I have created coherence in other ways. That had to be a journey through Spain, but for this work I wanted more thematic cohesion. For that I have used repetitive leitmotifs.

The first part is an introduction of the two characters, in the form of an aria-like rondo, in which the first leitmotif is audible. On the one hand, the procreator is depicted, who is trapped in a world full of evil. Furthermore, I have tried to symbolize the divine and pure character of the angel with shining harmonies and ethereal sounds. 

This is followed by two pieces surrounded by a second (and progressed) leitmotif. The development of the love between the angel and the progenitor is expressed with dance-like movements, in which their relationship becomes more intense and passionate and their initial innocence and joy are reflected.

When the angel realizes she must complete her task, a relatively long intermezzo follows. This section is crafted into an inner dialogue, where the angel’s internal conflict is musically depicted. Shouldnt an intermezzo be short(er)? Not perse... I surely wasnt the first one and technically I see an intro, an interlude, an intermezzo and a final. 

For the finale, the second leitmotif follows again, and from there I work towards the climax; the moment of creation, which had to be both ecstatic and emotionally overwhelming. The strongly varying tremolos that I have integrated, are inspired by the Mephisto Waltz.

Enjoy!

Mephisto Sonata - Movement I - Introduction

This piece was created when working on the 4th movement of the 4th sonata.  It is based on one progression building up tension there. Here it floats, being an intro to this piece.

Watch it on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/eCt-wUxBljA

Love (is all we need)

Watch it on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/KxdrVBRQlaE

Dark clouds fill the sky, 
but every cloud has a silver lining,
and after rain will be sun.  

This one I composed using some known themes. In the boogie-woogie passages, there is a theme that was favorite to Michel Petrucciani. And when the storm is fading into a golden sky, I've used a part from Dies irae, that was actually synonymous for death since the thirteenth century.

Summer Storm Rhapsody

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/9NC4GFzyP_E

1. Sonatine 
2. Intermezzo en 
3. Waltz XVII


Piano Suite II (Sonatine, Intermezzo & Waltz XVII)

Waltz I from Piano Suite I (youtube: https://youtu.be/QZCN39CNnxQ ), 23 years later. After recording it, I wanted the waltz to be slower and highlight some particular notes. Then I decited to also freshen up the piece, by transposing it from Bb to F, meaning all the notes in my melody change color too. I ended it in its origin. And its still a work in progress. Gonna make it into a sonatine.

Waltz I - 23 years later

Art of Life 

00.00 - Movement I - Awakening
01.04 - Movement II - Growth
02.34 - Movement III - Maturing
05.19 - Movement IV - Bliss

The goal I set for this sonata in particular was to have my themes return in various forms and various harmonies, as is common in program music. Like all the 90+ pieces I have made so far, all the movements have been etudes to me and were explorations in the field of harmony and technique.

Watch it on Youtube:https://youtu.be/V-OoRwVAFDA
Please like, comment and follow my channel!


Sonata I: Art of Life (Awakening, Growth, Maturing and Bliss)

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/tdrIdYfx1tc

Sonatine (Op.9 No.10)

A conceptial piece of simplicity, yet with complex tremolos to represent a train. 
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/6qziu2OkwsM


The Ride Home

This piece was dedicated to the girl in the title, she just turned 7 years old.
It had to be naughty and playful, reinforced with tempo changes.

Watch it on youtube: https://youtu.be/gqq2TPdUeQo

Amelie-Kiki

The day begins, bathed in sunlight. Amidst the chatter of crickets and grasshoppers, a pesky dung fly pays no mind to anyone or anything. Lambs tumble through the tall grass, and lively goats leap with joy—until the wolf appears. This is a tale of nature's rhythm: a day, a night, and the dawn of another morning in the meadow. "Life at the Meadows."

Watch it on youtube: https://youtu.be/hUrXTBVsXV8

Life at the Meadows

Jenny Wren, song by Paul McCartney

Like so many girls, Jenny Wren could sing
But a broken heart, took her soul away
Like the other girls, Jenny Wren took wing
She could see the world, and it's foolish ways
How, we, spend our days, casting, love aside
Loosing, site of life, day, by, day
She saw poverty, breaking all the home
Wounded warriors, took her song away
But the day will come, Jenny Wren will sing
When this broken world, mends its foolish ways
Now we, spend our days, catching, up on life
All because of you, Jenny Wren

A close friend of mine, as I was picking up the pieces in life, had me listening to this song lots of times. I just had to put the lyrics here, as my piece here was made when wounded warriors where taking away my song.

In these hard times, I picked up the guitar having lost all, includiing my native instrument, just to be able to play music in some way. For this suite, I made 7 movements (with the use of 4 different tunings). As I'm back at it (on piano) I have left you all just the 2nd movement (tuning: DADGAD).

Guitar Suite, Movement II

A guy teaching himself to play the piano, by making wonderful music. A Debussian storyteller who's about hope, love, and kindness. A fusion of classical, jazz, and cinematic music. 

"From pain and wonder, I create beauty hoping others can lose themselves, in the musical landscapes I create."

Kevin Bloemhof

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