Julian Schneemann is a musical adventurer. Everything he tackles, he does slightly differently, shedding new light on a work. This also applies to Canto Ostinato 2.0, Schneemann’s contemporary version of Simeon ten Holt’s equally iconic and hypnotic masterpiece. The repetitive patterns are given an electronic counterpoint, and Sinan Arat’s ney and Jeroen Batterink’s percussion organically complement the pianist’s familiar notes. A light show completes this twenty-first-century Canto journey.

Simeon ten Holt wrote Canto Ostinato between 1973 and 1976. The composer had become entangled in the laws of serialism and sought a simpler, more direct musical communication that listeners could understand immediately. Using a basic tonal theme, which he composed improvising at the piano, he constructed the repetitive structure that has since taken on a life of its own. There are many versions now, but the piece always remains perfectly upright and as fascinating as it is hypnotic.