For Calefax, I had the opportunity to write an opening piece for their new programme Streetwise as well as an introductory soundscape. The opening piece is an ode to the street De Nieuwe Binnenweg in Rotterdam.
About the opening piece ”Double Parking”
The work starts when a traffic jam begins to form. Cars race past each other, but as they get stuck, frustration grows. Horns become louder and more irritated, creating a cacophony of noise. But eventually, the cars realize that they can work together. Their horns create a harmony, a new world of togetherness and color. So, they come together and find a deeper connection, a new dimension of togetherness on the roads of life. Where they once produced static tones, they now play long, vibrating tones that together form a breathing and colorful sound world.
“What does streetwise mean to me? It means extracting sound from the environment, both in the city and in nature. I find many sounds fascinating, such as cars passing by with banging music, the white noise of a motorway, andddenly honking their horns at once. To me, it sounds like exciting music. I also find similar phenomena in nature, such as the wind through the trees creating white noise, or birds creating a cacophony of sound with their singing. With my work, I aim to gradually warm up  a dozen cars suthe audience for an exciting opening piece set in the middle of the city.”
About the soundscape that plays as the audience walks in:
The track takes you on a journey from sounds found in nature to those heard in the city. It showcases the evolution of music from the 17th century era of Van Eick and Telemann, which was characterized by a more nature-like environment without cars, to the bustling contemporary city of Moondog’s and Gershwin’s New York City. The sample track travels through time, from the 17th century to the present day, featuring the sounds of nature and gradually transitioning to a busy city with passing cars spinning music by Calefax.
Composers in the crosshairs of our attention