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Pro Contra!
Various composers

Simon Van Holen

Pro Contra!

Price: € 20.95
Format: SACD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917273328
Catnr: CC 72733
Release date: 06 May 2016
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Label
Challenge Classics
UPC
0608917273328
Catalogue number
CC 72733
Release date
06 May 2016

"Best rating ***** "Every chamber music lover is being perfectly pleased here." "

De Gelderlander, 02-11-2016
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Artist(s)
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About the album

Bassoon and contrabassoon; a kaleidoscopic rainbow of virtuosity, concentrated into a single CD. Perhaps there’s nothing unique here, but nevertheless it is something quite special and unusual the instrument had to wait until the twentieth century to really find its feet, amidst what was a wide-ranging exploration of new sonorities.

Even following the instrument’s wave of emancipation last century, the very first composition ever published for solo contrabassoon, the Baßnachtigall (1922) by Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), is still something of a rarity. Baßnachtigall sounds serious and droll at the same time, even occasionally fleet of foot, and with a tendency to virtuosity. The BACH motif and a Fugue leave us in no doubt that the classically trained Schulhoff was fully aware of what he was up to.
It takes the merest whiff of the frivolous elegance in Mozart’s Sonata KV 292 to be enchanted by what Mozart allows the bassoon to achieve, within a limited instrumental range – to sing. Mozart’s ability to make instruments sing is in fact unparalleled by any other composer.
Jean Françaix (1912-1997): lightness and humour best typify the bulk of the composer’s output: the music of Françaix is a manifestation of French ‘joie de vivre’. The Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet (1942) is a telling example of this. Lively, whimsical, waspish and brimming with rhythmic subtleties, the piece demands extreme virtuosic precision from its performers. The Quartet op. 46 no. 1 (1804) by Franz Krommer (1759-1831) – a gallant and dashing work with, as was customary, a contrasting touch of melancholy in its Andante, is permeated by the same divertimento ambience.
As a writer of chamber music, symphonic works and work for the musical theatre, Kees Olthuis (1940) may be more familiar with the bassoon and contrabassoon than almost any other composer. He would describe his own musical language as ‘extended tonal’. In his Concertino for contrabassoon and string quintet (2014) he combines this with a lyrical, drama-inspired narrative skill.

Pro Contra!: werken voor een zelden voorkomende solo-instrument
Fagot en contrafagot: misschien geen unieke instrumenten, maar zeldzaam zijn ze zeker. Door het extreem diepe register en zijn specifieke geluid zat de fagot lange tijd in het orkest vast en was het niet direct het favoriete instrument om voor te componeren.
Zelfs na een golf van emancipatie van het instrument in de vorige eeuw werd er nog maar weinig voor gecomponeerd— Baßnachtigall van Erwin Schulhoffde uit 1922 was dan ook een zeldzaamheid. Baßnachtigall werd geschreven als een sarcastisch en bespottelijk statement om op de tenen van de overheid te trappen: het klinkt dan ook serieus en grappig tegelijkertijd, met een neiging naar virtuositeit.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart componeerde de Sonata KV292, een zangerig stuk voor de fagot. Het vermogen van Mozart om instrumenten te laten zingen is ongeëvenaard door andere componisten.
Jean Françaix’ Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet is een sprekend voorbeeld van de lichtheid en humor die het grootste deel van zijn oeuvre typeren. De muziek van Françaix is een manifestatie van de Franse 'joie de vivre'.
Quartet op. 46 no.1 van Franz Krommer is een dapper en onstuimig werk met, zoals gebruikelijk was, een contrasterend vleugje melancholie in zijn ‘andante’. Door te kiezen voor twee altviolen laat Krommer hier de unieke timbres van de fagot nog mooier tot zijn recht komen.

Deze prachtige muziek wordt op een ongebruikelijke album gebracht door Simon van Holen, contrafagottist van het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest—een musicus op wereldniveau. Hij wordt geroemd om zijn pure virtuositeit en zijn vermogen zijn instrument te laten zingen. Hij wordt op dit album begeleid door leden van het Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest.

Nicht allzu oft werden den stützenden Instrumenten des symphonischen Orchester eigene Projekte gewidmet. In den Händen von Simon van Holen, dem Kontrafagottisten des Royal Concertgebouw Orchesters, weltberühmt für seine Virtuosität und seine Fähigkeit, das Instrument singen zulassen, bekommen Fagott und Kontrafagott auf Pro Contra! die Möglichkeit, ihre klanglichen Facetten zu präsentieren. Dabei wird er unterstützt von den Musikern des Royal Concertgebouw. In einem kleinen Längsschnitt durch die Literatur für das Fagott präsentiert sich ein kaleidoskopischer Regenbogen an Virtuosität. Eine seltene CD mit herrlicher und vielleicht für manchen überraschend genussreicher Musik, die Fagott und Kontrafagott gewidmet ist!

Bis zum 20. Jahrhundert musste das Instrument warten, bis es inmitten einer Welle weitreichender Experimente mit neuen Klängen wirklich auf eigenen Füßen zu stehen lernte. Auch nach der Emanzipation des Instruments im letzten Jahrhundert bleibt die erste Komposition, die je für Solokontrafagott veröffentlicht wurde - die Baßnachtigall (1922) von Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942) - gewissermaßen eine Rarität. Die Baßnachtigall klingt simultan ernst und skurril, zuweilen sogar leichtfüßig und mit einer Tendenz zur Virtuosität. Das BACH-Motiv und eine Fuge lassen dabei aber keinen Zweifel daran, dass der klassisch ausgebildete Schulhoff sich voll darüber im Klaren war, was er tat.
Es reicht der kleinste Hauch der leichtfertigen Eleganz in Mozarts Sonate KV 292 um davon verzaubert zu werden, was Mozart dem Fagott innerhalb eines begrenzten instrumentalen Ambitus zu erreichen ermöglicht und wie er es singen lässt. Diese Mozartsche Fähigkeit, Instrumente singen zu lassen ist unter den Komponisten einmalig.
Jean Françaix (1912-1997): Leichtigkeit und Humor beschreiben die Masse seiner Kompositionen am treffendsten. Die Musik von Françaix ist eine Manifestation der französischen "joie de vivre", wie das Divertissement für Fagott und Streichquartett (1942) etwa plastisch vor Augen führt. Lebendig, neckisch, bissig und strotzend von rhythmischen Feinheiten verlangt das Stück extrem virtuose Präzision von seinen Interpreten. Das Quartett op.46 no.1 (1804) von Franz Krommer (1759-1831) - ein gallantes und schneidiges Werk mit, wie es Usus war, einem kontrastierenden melancholischen Einschlag - wird von derselben Divertimento-Atmosphäre durchdrungen.
Kees Olthuis (1940) könnte als Komponist für Kammermusik, symphonische Werke und Musiktheater mit dem Fagott und dem kontrafagott vertrauter sein als jeder andere Komponist. Er selbst würde seine musikalische Sprache wohl als "erweitert tonal" bezeichnen. In seinem Concertino für Kontrafagott und Streichquintett, das erst 2014 entstanden ist, kombiniert er das mit einem lyrischen, dramatisch inspirierten Erzählstil.

Artist(s)

Simon Van Holen (bassoon)

Recognized for his versatility and expressive sound, Solo-Contrabassoon of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Simon Van Holen has performed worldwide as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player. Born in Belgium, Simon Van Holen received his first bassoon lessons at the age of eight. Although not yet big enough to master the instrument his ambition was well defined. In 2003, Van Holen entered The Royal Conservatory in The Hague and went on to complete his studies in 2010 at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf, graduating with the Highest Distinction under the tutelage of Prof. Gustavo Núñez. He further enriched his studies with Brian Pollard, Klaus Thunemann, Dag Jensen, Stefan Schweigert, Sergio Azzolini and Marion Reinhard. Van Holen’s career as a professional orchestral musician...
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Recognized for his versatility and expressive sound, Solo-Contrabassoon of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Simon Van Holen has performed worldwide as a soloist, chamber and orchestral player.
Born in Belgium, Simon Van Holen received his first bassoon lessons at the age of eight. Although not yet big enough to master the instrument his ambition was well defined. In 2003, Van Holen entered The Royal Conservatory in The Hague and went on to complete his studies in 2010 at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf, graduating with the Highest Distinction under the tutelage of Prof. Gustavo Núñez. He further enriched his studies with Brian Pollard, Klaus Thunemann, Dag Jensen, Stefan Schweigert, Sergio Azzolini and Marion Reinhard.
Van Holen’s career as a professional orchestral musician began even before completing his musical studies. He has been a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, and has been invited to play in the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra de l’Opera de Rouen and the Norrköpings Symfoniorkester. In 2007 he won the Academy Position with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker where he was later appointed Solo-Contrabassoonist in 2011.
Currently holding the Contrabassoon Position with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Simon Van Holen enjoys a rich musical career made up of diverse performing, recording and teaching engagements. He has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and is regularly invited as both a soloist and teacher in Europe and Asia.
An active chamber musician since a young age, Van Holen became the recipient of the prestigious ‘Villa-Musica Rheinland-Pfalz’ Scholarship. He also took part in the Zermatt Festival Academy and the Gustav Mahler Academy, and had the pleasure of performing with some of the most legendary musicians such as Menahem Pressler, Ingo Goritzki, Jürgen Kussmaul and Wolfgang Boettcher.
In 2013, Simon Van Holen was awarded the prize ‘Prix de Salon’ by the business circle of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for his extraordinary musicianship. The award made it possible for the commission of a new work for contrabassoon and string quintet by Dutch composer Kees Olthuis which is presented in this album.
Aside from his orchestral career, Simon Van Holen is Professor of Bassoon and Contrabassoon at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

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The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the very best orchestras in the world. Time and time again, critics have lauded its unique sound, which clearly stands out among thousands of others. The RCO’s string section has been called ‘velvety’, the sound of the brass ‘golden’, the timbre of the woodwinds ‘distinctly personal’ and the percussion have an international reputation. While the exceptional acoustics of the Concertgebouw, play an important role in this respect, the influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of whom there have been only seven since the orchestra was founded in 1888, is also important. As is that of the musicians themselves.  RCO Amsterdam is made up of 120 players hailing from over 20 countries. Despite its...
more

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the very best orchestras in the world. Time and time again, critics have lauded its unique sound, which clearly stands out among thousands of others. The RCO’s string section has been called ‘velvety’, the sound of the brass ‘golden’, the timbre of the woodwinds ‘distinctly personal’ and the percussion have an international reputation.

While the exceptional acoustics of the Concertgebouw, play an important role in this respect, the influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of whom there have been only seven since the orchestra was founded in 1888, is also important. As is that of the musicians themselves. RCO Amsterdam is made up of 120 players hailing from over 20 countries. Despite its size, the orchestra actually functions more like a chamber orchestra.This requires both a high individual calibre and a great sense of mutual trust and confidence. The atmosphere onstage, the orchestra’s roots in Amsterdam and the organisational structure

all converge to create exactly the right circumstances for exceptional music-making. The musicians are allowed to shine, yet still share responsibility for the collective. They also share the aim of achieving and delivering the highest level of quality at every performance, an ambition that goes far beyond simply playing all the notes perfectly. This is how magic is made and a concert becomes a truly unforgettable experience.


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Sylvia Huang (violin)

Composer(s)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose actual name is Joannes Chrysotomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a composer, pianist, violinist and conductor from the classical period, born in Salzburg. Mozart was a child prodigy. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. Along with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart is considered to be one of the most influential composers of all of music's history. Within the classical tradition, he was able to develop new musical concepts which left an everlasting impression on all the composers that came after him. Together with Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven he is part of the First Viennese School.  At 17, Mozart was engaged as...
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose actual name is Joannes Chrysotomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a composer, pianist, violinist and conductor from the classical period, born in Salzburg. Mozart was a child prodigy. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. Along with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart is considered to be one of the most influential composers of all of music's history. Within the classical tradition, he was able to develop new musical concepts which left an everlasting impression on all the composers that came after him. Together with Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven he is part of the First Viennese School. At 17, Mozart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position. From 1763 he traveled with his family through all of Europe for three years and from 1769 he traveled to Italy and France with his father Leopold after which he took residence in Paris. On July 3rd, 1778, his mother passed away and after a short stay in Munich with the Weber family, his father urged him to return to Salzburg, where he was once again hired by the Bishop. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his death.


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Erwin Schulhoff

Erwin Schulhoff is amongst the composers who have fallen into oblivion, and yet played an important role in the history of music. Dvorak already noticed him when he was a young boy, because of his musical talent and interest in everything new. Schulhoff was one of the first European composers to find inspiration in jazz. He mainly made use of harmonic and rhythmic elements and dances like the foxtrot, charleston and shimmy. After the First World War, he also embraced the influence of Dadaism and composed a few pieces with absurd elements, such as In futurum, which consists entirely of rests. In the 1930s, Schulhoff became a sympathizer of communism under influence of his friends, as a result of which he was...
more
Erwin Schulhoff is amongst the composers who have fallen into oblivion, and yet played an important role in the history of music. Dvorak already noticed him when he was a young boy, because of his musical talent and interest in everything new.
Schulhoff was one of the first European composers to find inspiration in jazz. He mainly made use of harmonic and rhythmic elements and dances like the foxtrot, charleston and shimmy. After the First World War, he also embraced the influence of Dadaism and composed a few pieces with absurd elements, such as In futurum, which consists entirely of rests.
In the 1930s, Schulhoff became a sympathizer of communism under influence of his friends, as a result of which he was not permitted to perform in Germany. Due to his Jewish descent and radical politic interests his music became labeled as ‘Entartete Musik’. His communist sympathies also brought him trouble in Czechoslovakia, were he had to work under a pseudonym after the invasion of the Nazis. In 1941, the Soviet Union approved his petition for citizenship, but he was arrested and deported to a concentration camp before he could leave Czechoslovakia.
Schulhoff was admired by his acquaintances, and recognized as a promising, gifted talent. As a pianist he was known as a virtuoso with brilliant technique and a strong touch.
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Press

Best rating ***** "Every chamber music lover is being perfectly pleased here." 
De Gelderlander, 02-11-2016

***** LUISTER 10 " [...] As a composition, this play is completely unique [...] "
Luister, 08-7-2016

CUM LAUDE! " [...] As a composition, this play is completely unique [...] "
Luister, 01-7-2016

CD-Recommendation
Hessischer Rundfunk - Kulturfrühstück, 19-6-2016

Simon van Holen proves that difference is possible, he is the first bassoonist from the 'Koninklijk Concertgebouw' orechstra, on this discerningly composite album.  
Klara, 17-6-2016

Play album Play album
01.
Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet: Vivace
02:24
(Jean Françaix) Simon van Holen, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
02.
Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet: Lento
02:44
(Jean Françaix) Simon van Holen, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
03.
Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet: Vivo assai
02:05
(Jean Françaix) Simon van Holen, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
04.
Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet: Allegro
02:26
(Jean Françaix) Simon van Holen, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
05.
Baßnachtigall for contrabassoon solo op. 38: Melancolia
02:25
(Erwin Schulhoff) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
06.
Baßnachtigall for contrabassoon solo op. 38: Perpetuum Mobile
00:49
(Erwin Schulhoff) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
07.
Baßnachtigall for contrabassoon solo op. 38: Fuga
01:21
(Erwin Schulhoff) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Sylvia Huang, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Martina Forni, Honorine Schaeffer, Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre
08.
Sonata for bassoon and cello KV292: Allegro
05:22
(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Simon van Holen, Honorine Schaeffer
09.
Sonata for bassoon and cello KV292: Andante
04:19
(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Simon van Holen, Honorine Schaeffer
10.
Sonata for bassoon and cello KV292: Rondo-Allegro
03:20
(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Simon van Holen, Honorine Schaeffer
11.
Quartet for bassoon, 2 violas and cello op. 46 no. 1: Allegro
08:42
(Franz Vinzenz Krommer) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Honorine Schaeffer, Martina Forni
12.
Quartet for bassoon, 2 violas and cello op. 46 no. 1: Andante
05:02
(Franz Vinzenz Krommer) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Honorine Schaeffer, Martina Forni
13.
Quartet for bassoon, 2 violas and cello op. 46 no. 1: Menuetto. Moderato-Trio
04:04
(Franz Vinzenz Krommer) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Honorine Schaeffer, Martina Forni
14.
Quartet for bassoon, 2 violas and cello op. 46 no. 1: Rondo
03:36
(Franz Vinzenz Krommer) Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Honorine Schaeffer, Martina Forni
15.
Concertino for contrabassoon and string quintet: Concertino for contrabassoon and string quintet
19:33
(Kees Olthuis) Pierre-Emmanuel de Maistre, Martina Forni, Mirelys Morgan Verdecia, Sylvia Huang, Simon van Holen, Frederik Boits, Honorine Schaeffer
show all tracks

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