With Canto Ostinato (1976-1979), Simeon ten Holt (1923-2012) wrote a special composition that is still cherished by players and listeners worldwide to this day.

At first glance the work is traditional. It is made up of fragments where tonal harmonies support the movement of tension and relaxation. However, a certain freedom of choice means that the work has an ‘open scenario’, making each performance essentially different. The choice of instruments is free, as is the number of repetitions of the fragments. The articulation (the way a tone is played or how tones are connected) and the dynamics (loud or soft and everything in between) are also up to the musicians’ choice. 

For the musicians this means that Canto is created from an essential social component; consultation about choices to be made and teamwork during preparation and intense contact during implementation is necessary. 

Listeners have embraced Canto as a life-changing experience; it can affect people deeply. They experience how Canto creates time as a duration in which we can be open to our intuitions. A time when we vibrate with the ever-changing composition of our lives and thoughts. 

Tomoko has had Canto Ostinato in her repertoire for two decades, as a solo and in collaboration with other musicians. Her collaboration with the virtuoso percussionist Diego Espinosa Cruz González on marimba once again testifies to the possibilities that Canto Ostinato offers for the timbre palette.