Lees hier meer over In C, music in quarantine of speel zelf mee vanaf 10 juni!

When the COVID lockdown began in The Netherlands, like many people I found myself not only physically, but also musically isolated. I started looking for a way to restore connections with audiences and fellow musicians, and to use our isolation as an opportunity to reinterpret pieces and experiment with the means at hand. I asked my colleagues at Asko|Schoenberg to join me for a recording of Terry Riley’s In C, one of the most versatile pieces of music I know. It can be performed by musicians of all levels, with any type and number of instruments. The emotional content of the piece depends entirely on the communication and creativity of players in a performance. Every player influences the expression; each performance gives a unique insight into the players’ personality.

Throughout this crisis I began to notice a similarity between our musical situation and the emotional isolation going on throughout the world. While discussing this with my wife, who works for the Netherlands Red Cross, we realized that my feelings of musical isolation were reflected in the emotional isolation many people feel at this time. Two of the largest projects that the Netherlands Red Cross has been doing lately are providing support to people in isolation, and restoring connections between families around the world. Because of these parallels, I wanted to use this project to help support the Red Cross.