related works
L'Élue : Prelude pour orchestre / Bram Kortekaas
Genre:
Orchestra
Subgenre:
Orchestra
Scoring:
picc 3fl(picc) fl-a 3ob 2eh 3cl 2cl-b 3fg 2cfg 8h 5tpt(tpt-b) 3trb 2tb 2timp 3perc str
Sweet : voor cello en accordeon, 1988 / Wim de Ruiter
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
acc vc
Virtuality : Version for saxophone quartet and band / Chiel Meijering
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
sax-s sax-a sax-t sax-bar drums g-b-el g-el
Q.M. (Quantum Mystery) : for ensemble / Petra Strahovnik
Genre:
Chamber music
Subgenre:
Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring:
ob cl fg h vn vla vc db
composition
Vanitas vanitatum : Three duos for violin and viola after David Bailly / Bram Kortekaas
Other authors:
Kortekaas, Bram
(Composer)
Description:
Vanitas vanitatum is inspired by the painting Vanitas Still Life with Portrait of a Young Painter by David Bailly. This work is part of the collection of Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, the Netherlands and forms the centrepiece of the exhibition David Bailly - Time, Death and Vanity (10 March to 2 July 2023).
The three movements of this composition are inspired by different elements of the painting. The first movement 'Lady in grisaille’ is a musical representation of the ghost-like depiction of a woman in the background of the painting. The music expresses the mystery surrounding this figure: Who is this she? And why is she almost invisible?
Another mystery is the starting point for the second movement. A young painter has been depicted by Bailly. Although it is not known for sure who this person is, I like to follow the interpretation that this is a younger version of Bailly. This younger Bailly is holding a portrait of the older Bailly. By depicting himself twice at different ages, Bailly is playing a game with the spectator, and perhaps with himself. The second movement, called ‘The painter and his self-portraits’, forms a playful pizzicato interplay between violin and viola.
The last movement ‘Vita brevis’ expresses the themes of transience and mortality that are so abundantly present in the painting. The music takes a sudden turn halfway through the movement: if life is short, it is better to enjoy it to the fullest and try to create beautiful things.
Bram Kortekaas