composer

Vries, Klaas de

Klaas de Vries (15 juli 1944, Terneuzen) studeert piano, theorie en compositie aan het Rotterdams Conservatorium en vervolgens compositie bij Otto Ketting aan het Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag.

related works

Neue Niederländische Klaviermusik : = Contemporary Dutch piano music, Heft 2 = Book 2 / mit Werken von = containing works by J. Andriessen, R. du Bois, G. Janssen ... [et al.], herausgegeben von = edited by Ton Hartsuiker

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Piano
Scoring: pf

Three sad dances : for two violas, 1954 / Rob du Bois

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Viola
Scoring: 2vla

The Lunatic, the Lover and the Poet : for viola / Robert Groslot

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Viola
Scoring: vla-solo

Thin Air : Version for viola / Calliope Tsoupaki

Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Viola
Scoring: vla

composition

Tegen de tijd : (Elegie voor altviool-solo), 1998 / Klaas de Vries

Description:
Program note (English): The elegy 'Tegen de tijd' is derived from the solo sung by the character Rhoda in my opera 'A King Riding', which was written for mezzo-soprano (Gerrie de Vries) and viola (Susanne van Els). Although 'Tegen de tijd' is derived from 'A King', it differs substantially in significant ways, and should, therefore, be considered an independent work. The character of Rhoda (crisis; always on the border between existence/non-existence) was a determining factor for the elegy, but Rhoda as a person is in fact no (longer) speaking; also because, as far as I am concerned, the piece is, in fact, about 'speechlessness.' Susanne commented once that the music progresses towards moments where it almost breaks off, or diappears in near-silence... And then, near the end, during the only loud passage in the work, each musical progression is hatted through the use of continuously repeated chords. - KLAAS DE VRIES