Melancholia

Melancholia

For those willing to feel deeply

An immersive concert experience by Maxim Shalygin and the Natalon Kwartet.
For four pianos and light installation · To be experienced in 2027

There was a time when melancholy was not a diagnosis, but a gateway—
to an inner world, to confronting beauty, to meaning.

In his new monumental work MELANCHOLIA, Maxim Shalygin creates space for reflection, connection, and artistic force. Written for four grand pianos and a light installation, MELANCHOLIA is a two-hour sonic journey that invites listeners to slow down, surrender to sound, and reconsider the role of music in an age of acceleration.

A synthesis of light and sound

In this work, Shalygin unites four grand pianos in a unique spatial configuration, surrounded by a responsive light installation by his long-time collaborator Nico de Rooij. This synthesis intensifies the emotional trajectory of the composition. At the same time, the work is conceived in a modular way: the musical score is fully autonomous. This allows MELANCHOLIA to be programmed as a purely acoustic concert performance as well, without any loss of expressive power.

A new step within a Dutch tradition

The Netherlands has a rich tradition of compositions for four pianos, with iconic works by Simeon ten Holt and Maarten Bon. Shalygin builds upon this minimalist legacy while charting a new course. Where Ten Holt employed “open” structures, Shalygin opts for a fully notated score, rooted in Eastern European spirituality and enriched with psychoacoustic insights.

50 years of Canto Ostinato

The premiere tour coincides with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Canto Ostinato. The Simeon ten Holt Foundation supports this project and presents MELANCHOLIA as an artistic continuation within the Dutch four-piano repertoire. For the marketing campaign, collaboration takes place with the renowned agency Bureauvanbeers, ensuring strong audience outreach that speaks both to enthusiasts of contemporary music and the devoted Canto Ostinato audience.

The composer & the SIMILAR cycle

Maxim Shalygin stands at a pivotal moment in his career. Following major orchestral commissions (RPhO, AVROTROS), Classical NOW! offers him the artistic freedom to create a magnum opus that challenges convention.

MELANCHOLIA forms the sixth chapter of his internationally acclaimed SIMILAR cycle, in which he explores the sonic possibilities of identical instruments to their limits:

• Lacrimosa (2018): 7 violins — commissioned by Gaudeamus
• Todos los fuegos el fuego (2019): 8 saxophones — commissioned by Amstel Quartet (Top 5, NRC)
• Severade (2021): 9 cellos — commissioned by Cello Octet Amsterdam
• Delirium (2023): 4 pianos — commissioned by Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ
• Bleeding (2024): 13 winds — commissioned by New Music First

With Delirium, Shalygin already demonstrated his mastery in writing for four pianos. Where that work overwhelmed the senses, MELANCHOLIA chooses the opposite path: radical unity. A single melody unfolds in canon across an immense time span of 120 minutes.

The work is also deeply personal. As a Ukrainian living in the Netherlands, Shalygin gives voice to the powerlessness he experiences in relation to the war. He composes not as an observer, but from lived experience—speaking from within.

The performers: Natalon Kwartet

MELANCHOLIA is performed by the Natalon Kwartet, the leading authority on the music of Simeon ten Holt. Their name, derived from Ten Holt’s Natalon in E, evokes themes of rebirth. The quartet regards Shalygin’s work as a direct continuation of its artistic mission. The Natalon Kwartet is especially known for its long-standing association with the music of Simeon ten Holt, whose monumental minimalist compositions form a central part of its repertoire.

The ensemble consists of four pianists — Petra van Oort, Laura Sandee, Robert Lambermont and Anna van Nieukerken — whose decades of shared performance experience result in an exceptionally tight and transparent ensemble sound. The Natalon Kwartet is the only fixed-line-up ensemble worldwide to regularly perform all five of Ten Holt’s evening-length works for multiple keyboard instruments.

Named after Ten Holt’s composition Natalon in E, the quartet combines deep historical knowledge with a contemporary performance practice. This makes the Natalon Kwartet uniquely suited to Melancholia: a new, immersive work for four pianos in which endurance, repetition, and collective intensity play a central role.

Pianist Robert Lambermont states:

“Maxim continues what Ten Holt initiated as a starting signal, but with a wholly unique, incantatory force.”

Maxim Shalygin is the first composer to write a new work specifically for this ensemble, which is renowned for its ability to let music breathe and crystallise over time.

Performance schedule & planning – 2027

Confirmed venues:

• AMARE, The Hague (Premiere, Hemelse Lengte Festival) – 13 March 2027
• De Duif, Amsterdam (part of the Canto Ostinato weekend) – 21 March 2027
• Koepelgevangenis, Arnhem – April 2027
• Chassé Theater, Breda (Steinway Sessions) – 9 June 2027
• Muziekpodium Zeeland – June 2027
• The Ukrainian House, Kyiv (Bouquet Kyiv Stage) – August 2027

Useful links:

• Project Page Melancholia
• Fragment of  Canto Ostinato by the Natalon Kwartet
• Website Maxim Shalygin

Performance of Delirium

This work is an excellent example of Shalyin’s previous work for four grand pianos.

Music: Maxim Shalygin Piano: Tomoko Mukaiyama, Gerard Bouwhuis, Laura Sandee and Antonii Baryshevskyi Production: Tomoko Mukaiyama Foundation Partner: ‪@muziekgebouwaantij6956‬ aan ‘t IJ, Chris Maene Supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten Premiere: 16 April 2023, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ Promotion video by Grycko Films