Canto Ostinato is by far the most popular classical work from Dutch soil. It is not without reason that the piece has been ranked high in the Classical Top 400 for years. By the way, we must place the term ‘classical’ in quotation marks. The special thing about ‘the Canto’, as it is often affectionately called, is that it has always appealed to a diverse music audience. Simeon ten Holt wrote his masterpiece between 1973 and 1979 ‘for one or more keyboard instruments’, but there are also arrangements for harp with electronics, marimba, organ with female voices and string instruments, among others.

What always remains the same is the dreamy, almost meditative effect that the repetitive music has on many listeners. Listening to Canto Ostinato in an attractive Groningen church is a special experience. Especially in the performance by star harpist Gwyneth Wentink, who recorded the work on a CD in 2024 that was given four stars by the Volkskrant.