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composition

Vanitas vanitatum : Three duos for violin and viola after David Bailly / Bram Kortekaas

Publisher's number: 22194
Genre: Chamber music
Subgenre: Mixed ensemble (2-12 players)
Scoring: vn vla
Remarks: This composition and the accompanying audio-visual recording were made possible in part thanks to Dutch Composers NOW, Buma Cultuur and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. World premiere: 8 March 2023, Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden by Tosca Opdam, violin and Georgy Kovalev, viola.
Duration: 8'30"
Number of players: 2
Year of composition: 2023
Status: fully digitized (real-time delivery)

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

Sheet Music
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Product Description Price/piece Count
Score Download to Newzik (A4), 14 pages EUR 11.06
Download as PDF (A4), 14 pages EUR 13.27
Hardcopy, normal size (A4), 14 pages EUR 22.12