The Day before Yesterday
This is Maarten Ornstein with the news
Dear friends
It’s almost the end of a long season, most of which I spent composing music for various projects. But before I dust off the old deckchair to go in full daiquiri-mode, I have something to share with you. Just listen.
‘In 2024, after the war, Rabih Mroué wrote this song. It was part of a new album we were preparing together. When the war started again in 2026, we decided we had to record it and put it out. We were living through the same destruction, and we wanted to say something in our own language, which is music. The song is about people’s houses and buildings being destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. About how a whole life, and all its memories, can be erased in one second.‘ (Rima Khcheich)
For a number of years now I have been working with Rima , who lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon. Over time, she has become not just someone I work with, but also a very dear and close friend. You know of course that her country and city have been ravaged by the IDF (which they really should rename IAF where the A stands for Attack). But rather than cowering in sight of all the violence, she and writer Rabih Mroué came up with this wonderful song. Tony Overwater, Juan Martinez and I recorded the music in The Netherlands, and Rima dubbed her voice in Beirut. Needless to say, I have enormous admiration for her to produce a song of such beauty under the circumstances in which she finds herself.
Tomatoes
Meanwhile back in Amsterdam, I have just completed the music for the preview concert of the new chamber opera, Escape in Ecstasy, on September 20th in Maastricht. We will play in the beautiful Opveld Chapel.
A few weeks ago we had a first reading rehearsal of the material I had thus far, and I think everyone liked it. Perhaps you can imagine how scary it is to hear your music played for the first time, and this rehearsal was no exception. But everything went rather well, so I’m starting to actually look forward to the whole thing, instead of mostly dreading it. The première of the complete opera will be in May 2027, and I still have a lot of composing to do for that. For this, efficient time management is everything and I find that using a Pomodoro timer greatly helps me to be productive. Tickets for the preview concert should be available from tomorrow via the website of the Musica Sacra Festival.
But first, the Summer
After I get back from a short holiday (I need one as I’ve been working almost continuously since last September) I’m going on a private practice bootcamp. I love composing but find it hard to combine it with working on my instruments (except the cornetto which I play every day for 30 minutes and still sound terrible on). So I reserved a few weeks to dust off the tenor and clarinet and get my chops back in shape. This is needed all the more because the situation with my hand is not improving, and the more I play, the better it is (they say).
But also
Next season will finally see the release of the Bach/Stockhausen/Breuker CD with Mike Fentross, the release of which was delayed due to personal circumstances, and of Al-Khymia, that wonderful duo project with Frances Marie Uitti. And there will be something from DASH! with Alex Oele and Eric Hoeke. Oh yes. But for now: