Pianist, organist and composer Guus Janssen is a welcome guest in the Orgelpark. His new compositions are a reason to dedicate a composer’s portrait to him. Janssen published a collection of new organ music from which several works will be played on April 6. To give the evening even more sparkle, pianist Gerard Bouwhuis will play the premiere of a series of piano variations.

Guus Janssen:

On 6 April, several of my works will be premiered at the Orgelpark. In 2021, the Geestgronden label released a CD (GG27) entitled ‘Organ’ with improvisations played by me on the ‘de Vermaning’ organ in Zaandam. As a basis for those improvisations, I used material I composed in all possible forms. 
The collection ‘8 Pieces for Organ’ is based on the same material, but now Geerten van de Wetering, who will play the pieces on 6 April, has the choice of either improvising himself or opting for the versions I composed or something in between.
 The advantage of improvising is that you have the choice of what to do entirely in your own hands; the disadvantage is that the result naturally stays with you while I had the idea that I could also make other organists happy with the pieces. All the more so because improvisation has traditionally been an important element in the culture of organ playing.

In addition to the ‘8 Pieces for Organ’, my organ piece ‘Passeggiata’ will join us for the second time. The piece was previously performed in the Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague, for which it was initially composed. 
Composing Passeggiata began with a small motif from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Rondo III H.262, which sounds literally at the beginning of the piece. Bach himself repeats that little motif and varies it rhythmically and in pitch. This evoked the association with a parade of musical events, similar to what in Italy is called the ‘Passeggiata’, the moment in the late afternoon when everyone starts walking through the streets. People pass each other, during which they may or may not engage in conversation. Similarly, in the ‘Passeggiata’, many musics pass each other in all shapes and sizes, especially in all colours.
 I have high hopes for a performance in the Orgelpark because especially the aspect of the ever-changing colours will come into its own here.

Third, my ’14 Variaties op een verzwegen thema’ (14 Variations on a Hidden Theme) will be premiered in the good hands of Gerard Bouwhuis. In recent years, I have created several pieces for solo piano. Being an improvising pianist myself for 40 years, there is not much composed work for that instrument, and that while pianists often ask me for pieces. The ’14 Variations’ are based on a theme which is a small, simple gospel-like song. In my Variations, this theme takes a great journey. It will move through a colourful and varied landscape like a chameleon while various musical styles and composers look over its shoulder.

In addition to all the premieres, I will perform Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s ‘Rondo III H.262’ mirroring with ‘Passeggiata’. Geerten van de Wetering will also perform Charles Ives’ ‘Variations on America’ in ‘rhyme’ with my Variations.

Program:

Guus Janssen (1950)

– Passeggiata (organ)

– 14 Variaties met een verzwegen thema (piano, première)

– New work for organ from the collection of organ music