Wind, breath and already musical inspiration. Organist Geerten van de Wetering and globally recognized pan flute maestro Matthijs Koene have hatched a unique collaboration. Original works for organ and pan flute are rare, but the Dutch duo has nevertheless managed to put together a beautiful recital with purely contemporary work. Matthijs Koene has been advocating for the pan flute in classical music for years. He has inspired many contemporary composers to write for pan flute. Geerten van de Wetering is the permanent organist of the Nieuwe Kerk and Kloosterkerk in The Hague, and is unconditionally committed to new repertoire.

In the atmospheric Grote Kerk, the duo performs work by two composers from two different generations, namely Roderik de Man (1941) and Celia Swart (1994). In her visual music, Swart subtly weaves influences from post-minimalism, modern jazz and pop music into an intriguing whole. She wrote the composition Shifting Presence (2024) for the duo.

The work ‘takes the listener on a life journey of the body and the soul’, according to the composer. “The pan flute expresses the body and the organ the soul. These two, body and soul, are connected by a growing melody. Together they make a life journey and discover what happens to the soul when the body ends. I find this an exciting quest, especially in an old, spiritual space,” Swart explains.

Roderik de Man’s short but eventful masterpiece Turbolenza di Protoni! from 2010. The special title refers to a quote from a work by De Man’s good friend, composer Ton Bruynèl. De Man about this: “It is a term that we often used jokingly when something unexpected suddenly occurred. In this case it also refers to the air swirls caused by the instruments and to the changing character of the piece.”

Programme

Celia Swart – Shifting Presence
Roderik de Man – Turbolenza di Protoni!

Concert is part of November Music Festival.