Donemus Webshop — Horst, Maarten ter

Maarten ter Horst (1987) started playing the violin at four years old. He enjoyed a rich musical development throughout his childhood, thanks to his highly involved violin teacher Koen Rens and his mother, who taught the piano at home and practised the violin with him daily. His interest in music broadened at the age of fifteen and he started composing. In the following years, this resulted in some early works for violin and piano.
After initially choosing a different direction, Ter Horst felt the urge to write music again in 2017 at the age of 30. This resulted in his two highly autobiographical string quartets, which he completed during the lockdown in 2020. The works form a personal journey of love, doubt, fighting and hope.
For Ter Horst, composing is a way of sharing emotions. He writes parts that drive each other up in a quest in which dreams and longings try to reconcile themselves with reality. What stands out is the timeless, melodic musical language. With this, he shows a surprising new perspective on a classical tradition.
The Helikon Quartet recorded Ter Horsts String Quartets No. 1 and 2 and Lullaby for String Quartet in 2021 on their album ‘Introspect’ for the Cobra Records label. The music was well received: “An ‘insanely’ tonal new Brahms?” (De Nieuwe Muze), “an invitation to the deepest part of your soul” (Cultuurpakt), “A beautifully coherent whole of story, sound, phrasing and ensemble playing” (Luister Magazine, rating: 9/10). The Helikon Quartet played the premiere of both of Ter Horst’s works at the Recital Hall of Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam and will perform them from the summer of 2021 on concerts throughout The Netherlands.